These Things Happen
by cocacola2
Summary: What would you do if you met the man of your dreams, but you could only have him for one month? Bella will find out that these things do happen. And maybe she'll fall in love along the way.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the paper this would be printed on if I actually had paper in my printer.

Prologue: Falling

"_Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."_

_-Albert Einstein_

It was a beautiful October night when it happened. The weather in Seattle, Washington was perfect. It was crisp and cool, but not quite cold enough to need a jacket. I could see the colors in the trees, a sea of red, orange and yellow that almost took my breath away. I could feel the crunch of leaves in each step, and I could almost smell Halloween in the air: the pumpkins, the candy, the excitement. I was so focused on the colors, the smells, and the feel of the leaves as I walked that I didn't see the wall until I hit it.

With my mind fuzzy and my backside on fire as I sat on the cold, rough pavement I realized that it wasn't a wall at all; it was a man. And oh God, what a man. He loomed there, over six feet tall, with a military buzz and shoulders broad enough to make an NFL linebacker jealous, and as he knelt down in front of me our eyes locked. To say that his eyes were brown would be to say the ocean is blue or the night sky is black. It may be true, but they're so much more than that. His eyes weren't just brown; they were the color of cinnamon, and aged whiskey, and melted chocolate and when the light hit them they flashed a liquid gold color that made my heart jump in my chest. I took one look into those indescribable eyes and suddenly I knew that my whole world was about to change.

Chp 1: Dreams

"_I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long._

_If we're in each other's dreams, we can be together all the time."_

_-Calvin and Hobbes_

My sophomore year of college felt like it was going to last forever… and it was only midway through my first semester. Being a nursing major, as I found out, is hard on your social life. Here I was, 20 years old, in the prime of my life, and the only people I talked to on a daily basis were my roommate and the person in charge of the research section of the Seattle University library. At SU, nursing majors start clinicals sophomore year, meaning every Friday morning I would drag myself out of bed and spend five hours training in a hospital, watching nurses insert catheters and take blood pressures and wondering if this was going to be the rest of my life. Don't get me wrong, I love nursing, but I was 20 years old and spending every waking moment in class, at the hospital, or in that special corner of the library that I had occupied every day since classes had started. It had occurred to me that I might be working too hard, but at the time I didn't know how to stop. My roommate made her view on this subject very clear to me one very important night in the library.

What a way to spend a Thursday night. I thought to myself as I rubbed my hand across my eyes. Or a Friday morning, I amended as I glanced at my watch. I only had a few more paragraphs to write before I could go home. My thought process was interrupted by a loud screech in the otherwise quiet library.

"Bella, it's two in the morning. You've been here since six! I thought something had happened to you!" Rosalie exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, I just need to finish this paper on cat dissection and then I'll come home," I replied and looked back down to my dissection textbook just as it was ripped out from under my nose.

"This paper isn't due for another week! You are going to go home and go to bed. And tomorrow night we're going to go out. To a party… or to dinner, or anywhere that is not this library. Do you understand me?"

As I started to respond, she grabbed the rest of my books, shoved them in my backpack and yanked me out of my chair. As she pushed me towards the door, I finally managed to argue. "I can't go out this weekend! I have reviews to finish and midterms are coming up! And what do you mean I'm going home? What about you?"

"I have a political science test tomorrow that I have to study for," Rosalie answered, because she is a horrible hypocrite. But she is a horrible hypocrite that still managed to push me out of the library on that fateful night and for that I will always be grateful, not that I would ever tell her that. Rosalie and I had known each other for a little over a year and I can say with complete sincerity that she is the best friend I have ever had. We met during freshman year when we ended up on the same floor of our residence hall and we connected instantly despite being polar opposites. Rosalie was tall, tan, blonde, and blue eyed. She was a cheerleader in high school. She went out with friends and partied almost every weekend. She was a perfect, All-American girl. She was so American, in fact, that I'm pretty sure her ancestors came over on the Mayflower.

As for me, well, I was no Rosalie. My parents, Charlie and Renee Swan, had come over from Ireland in 1983 seeking job opportunities, making me a first generation American. Everything about me was Irish, from the roots of my dark chestnut hair to my dark brown eyes, ivory complexion and freckles. I could see it in the way I talked, the food I ate, and even the music I liked. Where Rosalie was cheerful and outgoing, I was shy and reserved. I would rather stay inside with a book than go out to the frat houses and most of my time was devoted to schoolwork because I was able to afford college thanks only to numerous scholarships. However, despite our differences, Rosalie and I managed to become friends and then roommates and we'd been quite happy together ever since. We had developed the ability to balance each other perfectly; she made sure I had some fun every once in a while and I made sure she occasionally did her homework, I did the dishes and cleaned the room and she did my laundry because she knew how much I hated it. She did her homework in the room because she liked background noise and I went to the library because I liked quiet. We had established a routine, a rhythm and it suited us. All that changed the day I was exiled from the library.

I was lost in thought as I left the library to walk home. I could feel the cool air against my face and I relished the crispness of the October night. It was dark, but the streetlights shone, highlighting the colors on the trees. This was my favorite time of the year and I couldn't wait for Halloween to come around. I loved watching children run around, laughing and having fun. I loved the costumes, the candy, the decorations. I loved the fact that for one night a year you could be anyone you want and not have to follow anyone's expectations. My mind was occupied with my thoughts on costume ideas when suddenly I was on my back on the ground looking up into the most gorgeous pair of chocolate-colored eyes I'd ever seen. I felt my mouth fall open and I found myself unable to look away.

"Are you alright?" I heard a husky, slightly accented voice ask as I stared. My cheeks reddened as the blood rushed to my face when I realized he was talking to me and I was staring at him with my mouth open like a goldfish.

"I'm . . . um . . . I'm f-f-fine," I managed to stutter out, forcibly pulling my eyes away from the enchanting orbs in front of me. Bad idea. This drew my focus off his eyes and onto the rest of him. The first thing I noticed were the desert fatigues with the name Cullen sewn across the pocket. He was a soldier, probably in the Marine Corps from the look of his utility uniform. His legs looked to be thicker than some tree trunks. His shoulders were broad, leading down to thickly muscled arms and large, long-fingered hands that were currently extended toward mine in an effort to help me to my feet. As the bruise on my face could probably attest, his chest was just as hard and toned as the rest of him. I could feel the strength in his hands and I could see the rippling in his arms where his muscles tensed and released as he pulled me up from my position on the ground. While standing in front of him it was easy to see how I could mistake him for a wall. He towered over me, my head barely coming to his shoulder and just standing still he took up the whole sidewalk. Our eyes met again and I blushed as I realized from the breath-taking smile spread across his face that he had caught my somewhat lengthy perusal of his body.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked again, his voice amused. I stared up at his face, having to tilt my head back so far I thought I'd get a crick in my neck, and finally managed to get my voice under control.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm very sorry for running into you."

"Oh no, it's fine. I'm not the one who fell on my ass, after all." The smug grin widened and I got a flash of perfectly straight teeth that were so white they should have been in a Crest commercial. I felt my breath catch and all thoughts left my head, replaced with the glorious sight of his smile. "Make sure to keep your eyes on the road. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." He turned his body away and started to walk towards the street. I readjusted my backpack, while noticing that the view from the back was just as nice as the one from the front, before turning to face Williams Hall and continuing my journey to my dorm, even more distracted than I was before. I unlocked the door to the hall and walked across the lobby to the staircase. Luckily my dorm room was only on the second floor, so it didn't take long to get my door open, climb the ladder to my loft, and collapse into bed, fully dressed. I fell asleep to thoughts of a deep, hoarse voice and twinkling brown eyes.

Four hours later, my alarm went off, jerking me out of a very intense dream. I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears, my breaths came out in short gasps and for the first time in a long time I felt the need to touch myself. I could feel the dampness in my panties and the throbbing ache between my legs was becoming almost unbearable. I groaned and threw my arm over my eyes, trying to block out my blinking alarm clock and the images running through my head. I searched my mind, trying to remember the last time I had felt this aroused. My mind flew back to the last time I had sex, which was . . . oh wow, two years ago.

"God, no wonder I feel like this," I muttered out loud, groaning against my arm. No woman should ever have to go two years without an orgasm, but it's been that long since I'd had a boyfriend. Before Jacob I had no sexual experience whatsoever. We had dated for a year and a half while in high school and I had given him my virginity at the age of 17 after a year of dating. Sadly, the relationship fizzled out shortly after but it had left me with the knowledge that it never feels as good to touch yourself when you could have someone else do it for you. Since gaining this knowledge, I had generally avoided masturbation because it seemed too desperate, and too lonely, and now I was seriously debating changing this because of one guy that I had barely said ten words to. Feeling disgusted with myself, I ripped off my covers and climbed down the ladder.

Across the room, I could see Rosalie's perfectly made bed and realized she had never come home. It was 6:15, I had 45 minutes before I had to be at the hospital for clinicals so I tossed on my scrubs, grabbed my car keys and walked quickly to the parking deck right outside my building. Despite my burning desire for coffee, I took a moment to admire my car as I always did. It really was the nicest thing I owned and it was the first thing I had paid for on my own. I had found the body of the blue '96 Ford Mustang in a junk yard my junior year of high school and my brother and two of my cousins had rebuilt the engine, labor free, for my birthday that year. I unlocked the doors and slid into the cool leather seats, once again thankful that I had saved enough money to buy my baby. I pulled up at the Dunkin' Donuts drive thru and ordered two coffees and a box of Munchkins. Two minutes later, I pulled up outside the library and parked the car. I could see Rosalie through the window, passed out on top of her political science textbook and I shook my head and smiled fondly at my roommate. She always was a procrastinator, so she often ended up sleeping in the library the night before a big test in any of her classes. As I walked into the library, I nodded at the dozing girl at the service desk who had been in one of my nursing classes last semester and then turned left to walk to Rosalie's table. A quick time check told me it was only 6:30, which meant I had about 20 minutes to eat breakfast with my roommate.

"Rosie! Oh, Rosie!" I chirped in her ear as I waved the coffee under her nose. Her eyes opened blearily and she gave a sleepy smile when she saw the Dunkin' Donuts bag.

"A goddess. You are a goddess," she moaned as she took the first sip of her coffee. "Aren't you supposed to be at clinicals?"

"I had a few minutes to spare so I thought I'd bring you a pick-me-up," I replied with a sweet smile and Rosalie just laughed gratefully.

"As much as I appreciate this, don't think it gets you out of going to a party with me tonight," Rosalie said, still smiling merrily as I groaned.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"A friend of mine is having a house party. It's invitation only and it'll be pretty small so I figured it was a good place to start. But it will still be crazy fun! Don't worry."

"Oh, good. I was going to start panicking," I replied sarcastically and picked up a Munchkin. We ate in silence for a few minutes and when I glanced at my watch, I realized I had to get to the hospital. "I'm going to head out. I'll see you at home later, right? Good luck on your test."

"Thanks, Bella. Have I told you lately that you're the best?" I laughed as I walked away and dropped my coffee cup in the garbage outside the front door. As I pulled up outside the hospital, I remembered that I hadn't told Rosalie about the guy I had bumped into and subsequently had wet dreams about. I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick text message telling her I had a story for her and not to let me forget.

After what felt like a century of hospital time we were finally let go. I got back to the dorm room around 12:30 and jumped in the shower. As anyone who has ever worked in a hospital can attest to, working with sick people makes you feel sick. Sometimes a shower is the only thing that can take away that feeling. I was blow-drying my hair in front of the sinks in the bathroom when Rosalie walked in. She leaned against the sink next to me and crossed her arms in front of her chest. I looked at her and raised my eyebrow, silently asking what she wanted. She smiled at me, a smug little smile that made her cerulean eyes light up mischievously.

"So?" she asked.

"So, what?" I replied over the whirring noise of the blow drier.

"The story, Bella! Don't leave me hangin' here!" she exclaimed as she gestured wildly with her hands.

"Let me finish my hair. It's too hard to talk over this thing," I said with a grin, gesturing to my hair drier. We sat there together without speaking until I had finished. One of the things I appreciated most about Rosalie is her ability to know what I need without me having to say anything. Although she was bright and bubbly, she didn't feel the need to fill the silence with chatter. We sat together lost in thought and the silence was never awkward or uncomfortable. As I finished, I wrapped the cord around my blow drier, grabbed my brush and walked out the bathroom door, down the hallway to my room with Rosalie following a few steps behind me. She dropped down onto the futon as I stored my hair care products in my closet.

Our dorm room was pretty standard. It was a small room divided by a half-wall with loft beds and desks on one side and a living area on the other. The closets were nothing more than cubbyholes in between the door and the beds. The living area housed a futon, a mini-fridge, a microwave, some shelves, a TV with a stand and our insanely large collection of movies. We had spiced up the room with some posters of Harry Potter, Led Zeppelin, and King Fu Panda along with some Winnie the Pooh coloring book pieces from times of boredom earlier in the semester. It was a classic college dorm room, but it was home.

"Pitch Black is on," Rosalie said, turning on the TV and going to the sci-fi channel. I smiled and let out a small laugh. We both had a secret love for all science fiction movies, especially the disgustingly bad ones. We might have been the only girls in the world who could have sat through the Star Wars marathon we had last weekend. I shook my head as I heard Rosalie muttering about all the dirty, perverted things she wanted to do to Vin Diesel, and I plopped down on the couch next to her.

"That position is harder than the Kama Sutra makes it sounds," I replied to one of her more vulgar ideas. She laughed and looked at me incredulously as I failed to hide my grin. A commercial came on and I remembered the reason that Rosalie hadn't come home last night. "How did the test go?"

"It was ridiculously easy. There was one question about Lambda that I was unsure about, but I finished it in 20 minutes so it gave me lots of time to think about this story you have to tell me. So spill it!" I could feel the blush spreading across my face as I thought about last night. And this morning.

"When I left the library last night, I kind of . . . ran into somebody. Literally." I proceeded to tell her every tiny, insignificant detail about my two-minute interaction with the most gorgeous man on the planet. She looked over at me in shock because despite the jokes about Vin Diesel and the Kama Sutra, I rarely paid any attention to men and I had told her I had no interest in dating. I laughed at her shocked expression. "It gets worse."

"How so?"

"I had a dream about him last night," I replied, looking down at my lap.

"What kind of dream?" Rosalie's eyes gleamed and I knew she was mocking me.

"What kind of dream do you think it was?" I asked in exasperation.

"Are you going to tell me about it?"

"No!" I exclaimed.

"Please? Just a few details?" she pleaded. Her eyes went wide and her bottom lip jutted out as she stared at me, waiting for my answer. Despite my embarrassment I never could resist the puppy face.

"Um, it was . . . intense. Let's just say I'm glad you weren't here last night or you might have heard some embarrassing noises." I ducked my head with a grin as Rosalie squealed next to me.

"You're blushing! How cute! Are you going to see this guy again?"

"I doubt it. I didn't even get his name. Besides, he's obviously a Marine, meaning he probably doesn't go here," I retorted, my voice becoming sarcastic at the end. Rosalie huffed indignantly and then furrowed her brow in concentration. We lapsed into silence as the movie came back on and we watched the amazing battle skills of Riddick.

Four hours later, after seeing both Pitch Black and Chronicles of Riddick, we decided to run to the cafeteria and grab a quick bite to eat before we started getting ready to go out. By the time we brought dinner back to the dorm room it was a little after six o'clock. We ate in front of the TV while watching an episode of Will and Grace. Dinner was never great on Fridays because the cafeteria just took anything that was left over from earlier in the week and made it into casseroles but today was especially bad. I forced the food down because I knew that we would be drinking tonight and I had learned from my few adventures freshman year that drinking on an empty stomach was just asking for trouble. After the show ended I grabbed Rosalie's Styrofoam container and walked into the hallway to throw them in the garbage outside the door. When I walked back in, Rosalie was standing right in front of me with a wicked smile on her face and a straightener in her hand. As soon as I saw her I began to slowly back towards the door, hoping maybe she hadn't seen me.

"Where do you think you're going?" I cringed and looked up at her sheepishly.

"Oh don't give me that face. I'm going to straighten your hair and you're going to borrow that black shirt of mine and you're going to look pretty, understood?" she barked at me. I nodded my head and sat down on the worn, black futon. She started pulling and tugging on my long brown hair while chattering about the party. "So, planning on talking to any boys tonight?"

"No, mother," I replied, rolling my eyes. "You know I don't have time for all that."

"But what about the boy from last night?" Rosalie whined.

"What about him?"

"I thought this meant you were finally opening up your options. Getting out into the world, so on and so forth."

"I opened up my options to one guy who I'm never going to see again. That doesn't mean that I'm going to go sleep with everyone I see."

"But you'd hook up with the Marine?" she asked with an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"I would definitely think about it. Not that it matters because I'll never see him again."

"Bella, promise me something. Promise me that if you see someone you like tonight you'll at least give him a chance. I worry about you! I know you're lonely and I just want you to be happy. Think about it, okay?" Rosalie pleaded.

I hesitated, looking at my best friend's face, twisted with worry. "I'll try, but don't count on anything," I finally conceded. She nodded her head in acquiescence, slapped my back with a smile and told me to go get ready.

Two hours later we stood in front of the mirror together and Rosalie smirked. "Damn we're hot!" I just nodded my head and laughed at my roommate's antics. In her defense, we did look amazing, though that was nothing new for Rosalie. She was wearing a pair of tight jeans and low cut bright yellow shirt with crazy black designs that she paired with black heels. Her hair was crazy and curly and suited her personality perfectly. Her make-up was dark and smoky and gave her a mysterious look that was at odds with her bright, fun top. Rosalie had done my hair so it was soft and straight and fell halfway down my back. I wore blue jeans and a simple black halter-top I had borrowed from Rosalie. To spice up the outfit a little bit I had chosen my bright green stilettos and matching jewelry. My make-up was natural, just a bit of cover-up, mascara and Chap Stick, but I felt pretty. I grabbed my jacket as we exited and made sure Rosalie did the same.

"Where is this party anyway?" I asked as we locked our dorm room door and started off down the hall.

"It's at Tyler's," Rosalie sighed. I stifled a grin at the look on her face. Tyler was a friend of Rosalie's who shared an off campus house with a few other guys. I used the term friend loosely here because they were 'friends' who were completely in love with each other but refused to date because neither of them wanted a relationship. I kept trying to tell them that sleeping together exclusively, as they had been doing for months now, pretty much is a relationship, but I've had no luck so far. I knew I should be concerned because a party at Tyler's meant that Rosalie would be distracted all night and I would probably end up coming home alone, but I couldn't be mad when Rosalie looked so happy about going.

We left Williams, walking past a few other dorms and came out of campus at the corner of Main and University. When the light changed we stepped across Main Street and walked the two blocks down University to Tyler's off-campus house. The house was huge, with white and blue trim and there was a rocking chair on the porch that I had always kind of wondered about. Did it come with the house? I really couldn't see any of the boys bringing a rocking chair with them, but what a strange thing to leave behind considering the house had been unfurnished when they moved in. The house was even bigger on the inside than it looked. It had five bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, a living room that was twice the size of my dorm room, a dining room that housed three tables that had only ever been used for beer pong or flippy cup, and a large, modern kitchen that I doubt ever got much use except mixing drinks. I had been to parties here before and a good time was always to be had. Tyler may not be the brightest man Rosalie had 'not dated' but he definitely knew how to throw a party. As we walked up to the door it opened and Tyler stepped onto the porch as though he had anticipated our arrival. He was tall, probably about six feet, with brown hair and bright blue eyes that were currently watching my best friend with such adoration that it made me giggle a little. The small laugh snapped Rosalie and Tyler out of their love-induced trance and Tyler turned to me.

"Bella, you look gorgeous as always," he said with a charming smile, taking my coat.

"Don't flirt with me!" I replied and then lowered my voice and leaned in. "At least not while Rosalie's standing right here." Rosalie gave my butt a harsh smack and I squeaked and glared at her.

Tyler just sat there, laughing at our antics. "Come on in. Most people aren't here yet, but you can say hi to the guys if you want." The guys, of course, were Tyler's three roommates. I had ended up spending a lot of time with them in the beginning of the semester because Rosalie dragged me out to lunch or dinner with them constantly, worried that I wasn't having enough fun. I passed by Eric as I walked in the door and I gave a smile and a wave to the roommate I knew the least about. I knew he was a PoliSci major like Rosalie and Tyler, and I knew he was a Delt, but we'd never really spent any time together. I walked a little farther and saw Eric's best friend, the second roommate, Mike. He was across the room flirting with a blonde with obviously fake breasts and I sighed and shook my head. He was a really funny guy, but he had a weakness for busty blondes. It went dark suddenly as a pair of warm hands covered my eyes and a rough voice whispered in my ear.

"Guess who!"

"Fernando?"

"No."

"Enrique?"

"No."

"Miguel?"

"No, damnit!"

"Hi, Edward," I chuckled. The hands left my eyes and I turned to see my favorite of Tyler's roommates. Edward Cullen had become one of my best friends since Rosalie had introduced us and I knew he felt the same way. Edward and I were similar in that we were both the first generation of our families born in the U. S. His parents had come to the United States from Bulgaria and you could see his heritage all over him. He had the dark skin tone, the Eastern European accent on certain words, and he acted old school religious. Respect for elders, respect for women and strict Bulgarian Orthodox values dominated his life when he was in front of people. Although the respect for elders and women remained, when in private the strict religious values disintegrated. Out of respect for his family and his upbringing he didn't broadcast it, but Edward was homosexual. The only people that knew were Rosalie, his roommates, and myself.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned into him. "You look amazing, Bells," Edward said with a smile. I leaned back a little and looked him over.

"You're not looking too bad yourself, Mister. Trying to pick someone up tonight?" Edward always looked good. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a polo shirt and he looked like your typical college frat boy, but he was always attractive.

"Just you, babe. Just you," he replied with a wide grin. I buried my head back in his chest and laughed quietly. It had become an inside joke between us that all of Edward's friends thought we were together with the exception of Rosalie and Tyler who knew better. We did nothing to discourage the rumors because they protected both of us in some way. It allowed Edward to avoid awkward questions about why he never dated and it allowed me an escape from being hit on by drunken coeds. He defended me faithfully and most people saw this as possessiveness when really it was a brotherly affection. This thought made me smile fondly into Edward's shoulder just as he spoke again. "Hey, we haven't really talked much this week and I have something I want to tell you."

"Oh! Me too!" I jumped up excitedly, realizing that I hadn't told him about my mystery Marine. "I ran into this guy last night and he was gorgeous!"

"Gorgeous huh? He must have been because you never notice guys. Let's get you a drink and you can tell me all about it. But my news first. My brother's here!" The smile that broke out across Edward's face was so bright it could have powered New York for weeks. His smile made me excited although I didn't know very much about Edward's brother. His name was Emmett, he was two years older than Edward, putting him around 23, and according to his brother, Emmett was the smartest, coolest, manliest man to ever walk the planet. Despite the obvious hero worship, we never really talked about Emmett because it made Edward upset. He missed him most of the time and Emmett never came to visit. I was excited and nervous and a little angry that Emmett was here. I couldn't wait to meet him because Edward loved him but at the same time I really wanted to beat him up for never visiting before.

"That's great, Edward! I get to meet him, right?"

"Of course!" he said as he handed me a red Soho cup filled with pink liquid. I raised an eyebrow, silently asking what was in the cup. "Vodka and pink lemonade. I'll make you something better later. I want you to be sober when you meet Emmett." I nodded and took a few gulps of my drink to steel my nerves before he grabbed my hand and pulled me from the bar in the living room to the dining room. As I turned the corner I was stopped by a hard chest in my face and all of a sudden I was hit with déjà vu as I looked up into a pair of twinkling brown eyes.

**A/N: This is my first multichapter fic (hopefully it'll be multichapter). I'm going to try to update once a week, but because this is the first week I think I'll post another chapter just to give you a taste of what it'll be like. If you like it, leave love. If you don't, tell me why. Pretty please. With cherries on top.**


	2. Kiss

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to SM.**

Chp 2: Kiss

"_A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop_

_speech when words become superfluous."_

_-Ingrid Bergman_

"Sweetheart, we've got to stop meeting like this." My drink sloshed over the sides of my cup as the familiar husky voice rang in my ears. I recognized the tone from last night and I knew without looking that he was smirking at me.

"You two know each other?" Edward asked from my left.

"Not really," the man replied, still smiling.

"Oh, well Bells, this is my brother Emmett. Emmett this is Bella. She's the girl I've been telling you about," Edward introduced us as my mouth dropped open and I stood there in shock. This was Edward's brother? Things started to click together in my mind as my mouth snapped shut. Edward said his brother never visited but had never said why; Being in the Marines would be a good excuse for not stopping by. The name on the fatigues had been Cullen and seeing them together now I could easily see the similarities in their facial features, though Edward's stature was much smaller. How did I not see this coming? Oh God! I had dirty dreams about Edward's brother.

"I think I need to drink more," I mumbled and downed the contents of my cup quickly. Emmett laughed to my right and grabbed a beer from the table behind him, popped it open and handed it to me. Edward was still looking at us with a strange expression on his face, so I explained. "I ran into your brother last night when I was leaving the library."

Edward was still looking at my strangely, but now his glances were evenly distributed between me and his still-smirking brother. He grabbed my arm and started pulling me away. "Excuse us for a moment, bro," he threw over his shoulder to his brother as he yanked me into the kitchen. "What's going on?"

"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about," I said, trying to look innocent.

"So this gorgeous guy you met last night?" he questioned while gesturing angrily toward the dining room where his brother stood. I dropped my gaze to the floor and nodded feeling shame course through me and knowing my cheeks were flaming up. I glanced up shyly and saw his gaze soften and he sighed. "Come on. You know you can tell me anything. Even if it is about my brother."

"I think he's gorgeous and I had dreams about him last night," I spat out quickly and looked back down to the floor. I heard a quick snort of laughter and I whipped my head back up to glare at Edward. "Don't laugh! I feel bad enough about it."

"You don't have to feel bad. I think it's cute that you like my brother. It was just kind of shocking." The smug grin plastered across Edward's face erased any doubts that the Mystery Marine was his brother. That grin was exactly the same on both of them. "Want me to see if he likes you?"

"Oh my God. Are we in eighth grade? No, I don't want you to see if he likes me. I'm not interested in dating your brother; I just think he's attractive. Besides, what happened to us? Are you that desperate to get rid of me?" I asked with a grin, leaning into him and batting my eyelashes.

Edward laughed and put his arms around me. "You know, I wish I was in love with you. However, if I can't have you the least I can do is force you to date my brother so you'll be family. Now, I know you like him so go show him your amazing beer pong skills." Edward pushed me out of the kitchen towards the dining room. I could see Emmett talking to Mike on the other side of the first table and his distraction gave me a chance to look him over without embarrassment. Although I hadn't thought it was possible, he looked even better in civilian clothes than he had in fatigues. He was dressed simply, a pair of jeans and a green v-neck sweater but on him it didn't look so simple. The blue jeans hugged his hips, showing off the gorgeous curve of his backside and the tightness of the sweater emphasized the definition of his shoulders, back and arms. He turned a little to the left and I noticed how the green color of his shirt brought out the amazing cocoa colored eyes that had already captivated me once. I turned to look at Edward worriedly. He jerked his head towards his brother and raised his eyebrows. I shook my head from side to side, suddenly very nervous. "Go!" Edward demanded in a harsh whisper.

"I can't!" I protested softly. "I don't know how to talk to him! Do you know how long it's been since I flirted with anyone besides you?"

"You'll be fine. You're gorgeous, you're smart and you're Irish, which means you naturally drink like a fish. He's a Marine; your high tolerance will impress him. Now go!" He gave me one last small push in Emmett's direction. I took a few nervous sips of the beer in my hand and walked around the table. To ease my nerves, I started with Mike.

"What happened to the blonde?" I asked, coming up from behind them and touching Mike's shoulder while unwittingly locking eyes with the beautiful man in front of me. I tore my eyes from his in time to hear Mike's answer.

"She had a boyfriend. And her tits were fake."

"Since when have either of those things stopped you?" I asked with a laugh.

"I prefer my women natural," he replied with a joking leer and reached his hands forward toward my chest.

"Edward will beat you to death in your sleep if you touch me," I warned him with a smile. He sighed in disappointment and dropped his hands. Emmett's deep voice echoed out from beside me and I felt a shiver run down my spine as I turned to look at him.

"So, you're dating my brother?"

"No!" I protested at the same time Mike responded, "Yep!"

Mike looked at me for a second, the confusion obvious on his face. "You're not dating Edward?"

"Nope. We're just friends."

"But he talks about you all the time. I mean, all. The. Time," Mike argued.

"We're friends. Good friends. That's all. Now, who's up for a game of beer pong?" I asked, desperately trying to change the subject. Well, isn't that wonderful? Thanks Mike. Now he thinks I'm hitting on him while dating his brother.

"My kind of woman! You're on my team," Emmett said as he slung his arm around my shoulder and pulled me toward the table at the far side of the dining room. The second he touched me I felt sparks fire from my shoulder all the way down my body, making me shiver. He glanced down at me, his brow pinched together. "Are you cold?"

I didn't need to look down to know that I had goose bumps and my nipples were hard behind the thin barrier of Rosalie's halter-top. It had little to do with the cold, however. "I'm fine. Let's get this game going. Are you any good?"

The look he gave me bordered on condescending. "Honey, I am the beer pong king." Mike pulled a random girl (blonde of course) over and we started setting up the cups. When the cups were set up and the beer was poured, Emmett handed me the ping-pong ball. "Ladies first."

"Wow, a gentleman marine. What an oxymoron," I said as I landed a shot into one of the middle cups. Emmett shot me a fake offended look and sunk a cup in the last row.

"Ouch, hitting a little below the belt, aren't we Bella?" he asked, mockingly. "How did you know I was a Marine? Was my brother running his mouth again?"

"No. Actually, he almost never talks about you."

"That figures. Wouldn't want to bring up the black sheep of the family." We watched as Mike got one in and his partner missed the table completely. There was a break in the conversation while I grabbed the ball, dropped it in the water cup to my right and chugged the cup of beer. Emmett just watched with both eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

"You said ladies first," I said with a smirk as I arced a perfect toss into the front cup. "What do you mean the black sheep of the family? Edward doesn't see you like that."

"My family wasn't too happy about my decision to join up." He tossed his ball and it bounced off the rim of one cup and into the one next to it. I turned and looked at him while Mike and the blonde bimbo were drinking. My breath caught as I looked at him. He was too gorgeous to be real and it was making it hard to look at him and speak at the same time, but I had to get this out.

"Edward thinks you hung the moon. He thinks you invented alcohol and single-handedly cured world hunger. He doesn't talk about you because it's hard for him. Because he doesn't get to see you as much as he wants to. But don't ever doubt his love for you. You are his hero."

"How do you know all this if he doesn't talk about me?" he asked, grabbing the cup that Mike had just sent a ball into.

"I know Edward. You should have seen how excited he was that you were visiting. You should do it more often." Silence reigned for a minute and I could tell Emmett was getting uncomfortable with the conversation, so I switched to lighter topics, namely Mike's obsession with breasts. The game finished quickly after that with Emmett and I devastating Mike and his partner. We still had half our cups left when we sunk our last shot, but we ended up splitting the cups with them out of pity.

"You know, you have major beer pong skills. For a girl, anyway," Emmett said with his trademark smirk as we walked out of the dining room towards the stereo where Edward was seated with Rosalie and Tyler.

"I'll pretend that was a compliment. Believe it or not, that's only the second time I've played with beer. We play root beer pong at Hall Council on Sundays." I shot him a grin as he shook his head and moved over to talk to his brother. I heard Rosalie give a shriek as the song "Still Fly" by the Big Tymers came on over the impressive stereo system.

"Bella! Dance with me!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me to the middle of the living room where a few other girls were dancing. Rosalie's arms went around my waist and her hips pushed into mine to the rhythm of the song. I started to get into it but as soon as Rosalie opened her mouth I knew I had been tricked. "So, who is he?"

"Who is who?" Playing innocent was always the best strategy in this situation.

"Tall, dark, and yummy! Who is he?!"

"It's Edward's brother, Emmett."

"Two boys in two days, Bella? I'm impressed and kind of shocked. I thought you weren't interested in anyone but the Marine." I ducked my head and let my hair curtain my face to hide the blush I knew was spreading across my cheeks, but it was a lost cause. I could never hide anything from Rosalie. "Oh. My. God. That's him, isn't it?"

"Him who?" Tyler asked as him and Edward came up from behind Rosalie. Tyler's hands went to Rosalie's waist and Edward came around and pulled me back into his chest.

"No one, honey," Rosalie replied with a mischievous grin. Hot. She mouthed at me before turning around and dancing with her not-boyfriend.

Edward rested his chin on my shoulder as he whispered in my ear, "What did you say to my brother?"

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" I replied, shrugging off the question.

"He's on leave for a month and I've been trying to convince him to stay here for at least part of it but he kept saying he was only going to stay for a few days and then go back to base early. Just now he came up and asked me if the guest bedroom was still available for the next few weeks. I don't know what you said, but thank you." Edward's arms tightened around my waist as our dance turned into an extended hug.

"You're welcome, although I didn't do anything. It was all you and your Bulgarian charm," I said with a grin that he couldn't see. I turned my attention back to where Emmett was standing and the look he was giving me could only be described as smoldering. Whether the look was from anger or desire, I couldn't really tell, but it made me shiver either way. "Let's go sit. I need another drink."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's why you want to go sit down," Edward teased. He let go of my waist and gestured towards his brother. "Go keep him company, I'll get your drink. Beer okay?"

"Sounds great," I replied as he walked off toward the bar and I walked in the direction of the couches. I plopped down next to Emmett and gave him a tired grin noticing his face was back to its normal composure. "Having fun?"

"Oh yeah. Highlight of my year," he replied with a wicked smile. "So Bella, tell me about yourself."

"Not much to tell really. I'm 20, I'm a nursing major, I originally hail from Forks, Washington: home of the Spartans, and I have a younger brother named Garrett."

"That's boring. Tell me something real."

"What do you want to know?"

"What's your deepest fear?" Emmett asked seriously.

I contemplated this for a moment before answering, "Mediocrity. Now, tell me about you. And start with the little details; we'll ease into your biggest fear."

He laughed gruffly before answering. "I'm 23. I'm a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, currently on my last leg of active duty. You obviously know my younger brother and I'm from Chicago originally. The bad part."

"How bad are we talking here?"

"Like Cicero, kind of bad," he said with a smile.

"Oh, that is bad," I laughed. "Why did you go into the Marines?"

His face took on a more serious note as he thought about the question. "I think I just wanted to make a difference."

"Did you?"

"I'll let you know when I find out," he said with a little laugh. "Favorite movie?"

"That's too hard. I love all movies! Umm, it would be a toss up between Pride and Prejudice, Children of Men, and Remember the Titans. You?"

"Boondock Saints," he replied immediately.

"Of course it is," I replied sarcastically. "What is it with men and that movie?""Have you ever seen it?" he asked. When I shook my head he practically leapt out of his seat. "Then of course you wouldn't understand! I'll make you watch it while I'm here, I promise." I laughed at the look on his face. It was amazing how someone so strong and masculine could adopt such a childish look of excitement over something as simple as a movie. I saw him glance up over my shoulder and I turned to see Edward standing behind me, holding my beer.

"Thank you!" I said as Edward dropped down on the couch across from us.

"Rosalie asked me to tell you that she won't be coming home tonight.""They've already vacated the party, huh?" I asked with a smile. "Well that means you're going to have to walk me home."

"Whenever you're ready sweetheart."

"I'll let you know. For now, let's dance." I grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him up off the couch. I glanced at Emmett over my shoulder and grinned. "Are you coming?"

"Three's a crowd, babe," he replied with a grin of his own that caused arousal to spike in my gut. "Save me a dance for later." I nodded as I dragged Edward into the center of the living room. His hands came up to my hips and mine went to his shoulders. I closed my eyes and let the beat flow through me as Edward's hands tightened on my waist. A few songs later, Edward leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Look." I opened my eyes and turned around in Edward's arms. A few feet in front of us was a small blonde man dancing with a brunette girl that I knew from nursing classes.

"What about them?" I asked.

"Remember how I told you in the beginning of the year that there was someone I was kind of interested in?" He looked down at me and tilted his chin towards the couple. "I don't even know his name. I've seen him at a few parties and he left one with a guy, but I was too afraid to talk to him."

"Well let's go meet him now!" I said.

"What? How?"

"That's Alice who's with him. She's a nursing major. You'd like her, she's half Fairy, I'm certain of it." I grabbed his hand off my hip and tugged him forward. I tapped Alice on the shoulder and she turned around.

"Hey! I didn't know you were going to be here! How are you?" she shouted energetically as she leaned over and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. I laughed at her enthusiasm and I hugged her back.

"I'm good! This is my friend Edward. Edward, this is Alice and . . .," I trailed off and looked at Alice with my eyebrow raised, waiting for an introduction.

"Jasper," the slight man answered with his hand extended towards me. I shook his hand and was pleasantly surprised at the strength of the grip. From his size I had expected something more . . . gentle. Strength was good. Edward hadn't given me explicit details about his preferences, but I couldn't imagine him with someone effeminate. Jasper turned his attention to Edward and I saw both sets of eyes light up. Jasper reached his hand past me and stated his name again. Edward clasped hands with him and it didn't look like either of them was planning on letting go.

I cleared my throat loudly to get Edward's attention and whispered in his ear, "Remember where you are and don't do anything I wouldn't do." I grabbed Alice's arm and pulled her towards the bar. "Thirsty?"

"Parched. Does your friend know that Jasper's gay? Because I think Jasper likes him and I don't want him to get his hopes up."

"I'm sure they'll get along fine," I said with a smile. "But we need to keep this quiet and we need to distract Edward's brother because he doesn't know yet."

"Flippy cup?" Alice asked.

"Flippy cup," I replied. We grabbed Emmett off the couch and headed toward the table.

After an hour of flippy cup and beer pong, it was getting close to one in the morning and I figured it was almost time for me to head home. I remembered Edward was occupied and Tyler and Rosalie were already gone, so I started looking around the room hoping to see Mike.

"Looking for someone in particular?" Emmett asked from behind me. His breath on the back of my neck made me shiver and the arousal I had been battling all night came rushing back.

"I need someone to walk me home," I said breathlessly as I felt him step closer. I could feel his body heat against my back and I unconsciously leaned into his warmth. He had been on the opposite team for both flippy cup and beer pong and not being in close proximity to him had led me to forget the impact his presence had.

"You can't leave yet. You still owe me a dance." The husky whisper in my ear was thick with liquor. The deep voice flooded my senses with heat and when his hand landed on my jeans just under my hipbone I let out an embarrassing moan, pushing into his hand. I felt him step to the side so his arm wrapped around my waist and he led me to the living room. As we walked I got nervous. I wasn't sure I could do this. Being pressed up against him on a dance floor had the potential to make me come apart in his arms, which, even to my less-than-sober mind, would be very embarrassing. On the other hand, what if this was the only chance I would ever have to be that close to him? He pulled me into the throng of people and I could barely hear the music through the blood pounding in my ears. Emmett folded his other arm around my waist to press my body into his. His hands rested at my hips, touching the sliver of skin where the bottom of my halter didn't quite meet the top of my jeans and his leg slid between mine, rocking me against him. As soon as his thigh brushed against me, I groaned and collapsed into his chest, dropping my head to his shoulder.

He moaned my name as my body pressed into his and my hands tightened on his shoulders when suddenly there was another body pressed behind me. I managed to pull myself away from the temptation in front of me and glanced over my shoulder to see Alice.

"Hey, I was going to head back to the dorms and I figured since both of our escorts disappeared you might want to walk with me, but if you're busy . . .,"

"No! It's fine. Let's go," I said, jumping away from Emmett's intoxicating presence before I did something I would regret later.

"You two shouldn't be walking home alone," Emmett said from behind me. "I'll walk you."

"You don't know how to get back," I protested even though part of me wanted to pull him back to my empty dorm room and make sure he never left.

"I'm a marine and I've navigated my way through Iraq. I'm sure I can find my way back from campus," he said with a smirk. I turned to look at Alice and she shrugged at me, showing me that she didn't care either way. I nodded at Emmett, trying to control my nervousness at the thought of him anywhere near my dorm room while I was in this state. We walked to the door and collected our jackets from the pile in the closet before exiting into the cold night air.

The walk was short and silent and within a few minutes we were dropping Alice at Harper Hall and suddenly we were alone. We walked together awkwardly, neither of us saying anything until we had reached the doors to my dorm.

"Well, this is me," I said with a wave toward the building.

"I had fun, Bella," he finally replied. "I decided to stay for a while, spend some time with my brother. So, I guess that means I'll be seeing you around. Goodnight." Emmett stood there until I had unlocked the door, entered, and let it shut behind me. I waved as he turned to walk away and he smirked at me in return. I started walking up the steps that led to my dorm room, once again lost in my thoughts. I unlocked the door to my room and I did my nightly routine: putting on pajamas, taking off my makeup and brushing my teeth, because I knew I would regret it in the morning if I didn't. When everything was done I allowed myself to fall into bed with a smile as I remembered the feel of his breath brushing across my neck, his body pressed up against mine, and the way my name rolled off his lips.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of knocking. I rolled over to the shelf at the foot of my loft and grabbed my phone, swearing when I saw the time. "Who the hell is up this early on a Saturday?" I mumbled to myself as I climbed down the ladder. Suddenly I remembered promising a fellow nursing student, James, that he could stop by today and I would help him with his nutrition homework. With this realization, I promised myself that if he were really standing outside my door this early I would beat him over the head with our textbook. I unlocked the door and yanked it open with words already half formed in my mouth.

"James, I might kill you . . .," my voice trailed off as I realized that the person in the doorway was a foot too tall to be James. I stood in shock for a minute as I gaped at Emmett, all the while wondering if this was a dream.

"You do that a lot," Emmett said with a grin. "You should close your mouth before you catch flies."

"Definitely not a dream," I mumbled, more to myself than to him. "It's not even nine. Why are you here?"

"You had a dream about me?" he asked, still smirking.

"More like a nightmare. A nightmare where you woke me up before nine in the morning on a Saturday for no reason."

"Well, you were obviously expecting someone. Should I be worried about this James guy?"

"I'm going back to bed," I replied. I moved to shut the door but it was difficult due to the hulking mass of marine that had moved into the room. I groaned and glared at him again. "What do you want?"

"I was thinking we could grab breakfast. Edward said there's a great little diner right off of campus. Zams? Zooms?"

"Zims, and why are you even awake this early?"

"This is when people normally eat breakfast," he replied, looking at me as if I were slow. He looked me over and laughed. "You're cute in the morning. Breakfast. We're leaving in five minutes so go get ready." I glared at him incredulously and he just smiled, sat down on the futon, and gestured at the door. I grabbed a pair of pants and my toothbrush and ran to the bathroom. After splashing some water on my face and brushing my teeth I had come to the realization that I was being ridiculous. Despite the early morning and the intense hangover headache there was a gorgeous man waiting in my room to take me to breakfast. Who was I to complain?

I walked out of the bathroom four minutes later feeling awake and refreshed and very nervous. I dropped my stuff off, threw on my coat, grabbed my ID and my key, and pronounced myself ready to go.

"You're going to have to lead on this one," Emmett said as we walked. "I don't know where we're going."

"But you're a marine! You've navigated through Iraq!" I replied with a mocking grin.

"Smartass."

I locked he door behind us and we exited the building. We walked in silence for a few minutes until I couldn't stand it anymore.

"May I ask you something?"

"That depends on what it is."

"Why did you decide to stay?"

He contemplated this for a moment before answering, "I miss my brother when I'm gone, but he has a life here. My family didn't approve of my military career and I just assumed that he agreed with them, so I just stopped coming home. But then I thought about what you said and I talked to Edward and he said he wanted me to stay, so here I am."

"If you thought he didn't approve why did you come down here in the first place?" I asked.

"I had to take leave because Sarge told me that he'd beat me if I didn't actually get off the base. Apparently never leaving is a bad thing, who knew?" he replied with that same cocky smile. "I decided to come _here_ because, even if he was upset about my career choices, Edward is still the only person I really wanted to see."

I nodded my head and we walked the rest of the block quietly, lost in our own thoughts. We approached Zims and Emmett beat me to the door and held it open. I smiled at him as I walked in and gave a happy sigh. Zims was a typical, small diner that could only seat a few people at once and had an amazing breakfast that was served all day. It was one of my favorite places to eat near campus. We were seated and handed menus as we settled in.

"I think I'm going to get the triple," Emmett stated decisively.

"You really think you can eat all that food?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow. The triple came with three pieces of meat, 3 eggs, Zims taterz (their version of hash browns), and a choice of three pancakes, three waffles, or three pieces of French toast.

"I'm a marine. And a growing boy. I think I can handle it." I laughed at this remark and went back to perusing my menu.

"What can I get for you today?" The cheery waiter asked. The waiters were always cheery at Zims. It must have been a qualification for working there.

"I'm going to get the triple. Can I get that with one pancake, one waffle, and one piece of French toast? With sausage, and scrambled eggs. Thanks."

I shook my head again and smiled up at the waiter. "I'll get the Mickey Mouse pancake, please, with sausage and white toast. Thank you." The waiter grabbed our menus and informed us that our food would be out shortly.

"Mickey Mouse pancake?" Emmett asked in disbelief. "How old are you, five?"

"Don't mock the Mickey Mouse pancake," I threatened.

"Fine, fine. So, what's going on with you and my brother?"

"What do you mean?"

"You said you two aren't together? But everyone that lives in that house seems to think you are."

"Edward's like a brother to me. We're just very close," I replied.

"Good."

"Good? Why is that good?"

"Because I suddenly feel much less guilty about taking you to breakfast. I also feel less guilty about asking you to go out with me tonight." I just stared at him, completely shocked. He laughed and after a moment asked, "Is that your answer?"

The heart-stopping smirk and patronizing laugh brought me out of my daze and I felt the sudden need to wipe the smug look off of his face so with a grin of my own I responded, "I didn't hear a question."

He laughed. "Oh, sweetheart, we are going to have so much fun together. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to play mini golf this evening?" he requested formally.

"Well, I suppose if I don't have anything better to do," I replied with a genuine smile. Our conversation was interrupted as our food came out. I laughed as the waiter placed four plates of food in front of Emmett and then we descended into comfortable silence as we began to eat. After a few minutes, Emmett broke the silence to ask me what my favorite food was. I replied and our conversation for the next half an hour consisted of the normal, silly, get-to-know-you questions that inevitably appeared on any first date while I watched Emmett pack away all four plates of food.

"I can't believe you ate all that. I feel sick to my stomach just watching you." I faked a groan and rubbed my belly as I got up from the table. "I'll be back."

I went to the bathroom in the back of the restaurant and leaned back against the door, unable to keep the smile off my face as I thought about the gorgeous, sarcastic, impossible man waiting for me at the table. Because I was unable to contain my giddiness, I pulled out my phone and texted Rosalie.

Oh. My. God. You are never going to believe this.

I knew she wasn't going to wake up until later so she wouldn't see it for a while but it helped me get my excitement out in a non-embarrassing way so I didn't accidently squeal or do a happy dance in front of my date. I walked out of the bathroom and Emmett was standing by our table holding my coat.

"Ready to go?" he asked as he helped me put my coat on and pulled my hair out of my collar. I couldn't help but smile at the sweet gesture as I thought back to my remark last night about him being a gentleman marine. Emmett'ss hand landed on the small of my back and he started propelling me toward the door.

"Wait, don't we have to pay?" I asked as we passed through the doorway and stepped into the cold outside air.

"It's taken care of." Emmett replied with a smile.

"Emmett! I can pay for my own breakfast! How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything. It was my treat."

"Then I'll pay for mini golf tonight."

"No, you won't. I asked you so I'm paying."

"So if I asked you on a date you'd let me pay?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips and glaring up at him.

"No."

"Emmett. . ." I started, before he interrupted me.

"Bella, shut up." I stared at him, utterly dumbfounded as he stepped closer. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?"

He took another step toward me and tilted my chin up to face him. I started to protest and he shushed me and leaned his forehead against mine. "You need to be quiet so I can kiss you now."

**A/N: Questions? Comments? Concerns? Let me know!**


	3. Heat

**A/N: Sorry this was a little delayed. I was in San Diego, watching my brother graduate from Marine bootcamp. I'll be updating more regularly for the next couple of weeks. Hopefully. ******

**Disclaimer: It's not mine, I'm just playing.**

Chp 3: Heat

"_Of all the worldly passions, lust is the most intense. All other_

_worldly passions seem to follow in its train."_

_- Buddha_

I had expected fireworks, or an electric shock. That's what first kisses always felt like in stories. This was no story and there were no fireworks. Instead there was a slow burn that started in my lips and swept through every part of me. As soon as his lips touched mine the warmth flowed over me and I felt complete, like I had been waiting for this moment forever. His mouth opened and his tongue slid across my bottom lip. Mine slipped out to meet it and his taste exploded in my mouth as soon as our tongues touched. He tasted sweet, a mixture of the maple syrup and hot chocolate. My hands tingled as they reached up around Emmett's neck to pull him closer and his other hand came up to cup my cheek, holding my face gently as he pulled away and pressed short, chaste kisses against my lips.

"Wow. I don't remember it being like that," I sighed and leaned against him. He laughed and kissed the top of my head before grabbing my hand and leading me back toward the dorms.

"What time should I pick you up tonight?" Emmett asked as we walked hand in hand down University Street.

"You have a car here?" I asked.

"No, but I can borrow Edward's."

"You don't have to do that. I can drive. It's the least I can do since you won't let me pay." I argued as we stopped outside my dorm room.

"Nope. I will pick you up at seven." I debated for a moment and knowing I wasn't going to win this argument, I decided to just let it go and enjoy letting my date handle everything. I smiled at him and nodded my head to let him know I wasn't going to fight anymore. The grin that spread across his face was breathtaking and suddenly I realized that I didn't want him to leave.

"Do you want to come in for a while?"

He shook his head regretfully. "I should probably get home, actually. Edward and I are going to the park to play football with his roommates soon. But I'll see you tonight. Seven. Don't forget." I was disappointed that he wasn't staying, but that feeling disappeared when he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my lips before turning and walking down the hall. I turned to my door and started to put the key in the lock when it was wrenched open. Rosalie stood in the doorway with a surprised look on her face before it spread into a smile.

"Hey! I'm glad you're home! Where were you? Do you want to go to brunch? I'm kind of hungry." I laughed at Rosalie's excited chatter and stepped past her into the room.

"What time did you get in? I thought you'd be at Tyler's until later."

"Eh, they were going to play football."

"You didn't stay to watch your gorgeous boyfriend play?" I asked.

"Not really my idea of a good time," she responded. "Where were you? I figured you would have slept in. What's the word on breakfast?"

"I just ate. With Emmett," I replied and then laughed at the look of shock on her face.

"You asked him to breakfast? I know I told you to go for it if you found someone you liked but I wasn't expecting you to actually do it!"

"Thanks for having faith in me," I said dryly. "And no, he came by and woke me up to ask me to breakfast."

"Seriously? That's awesome! I want to hear all about it," she said as she dropped down on the futon.

I sat down next to her and couldn't help the excited grin that broke out across my face as I spent half an hour recounting my breakfast with Emmett. "And when we left Zims, he kissed me."

Rosalie let out an excited squeak and asked, "How was it?"

"It was amazing. It was more than amazing. There aren't words to describe it. And he asked me to go out tonight."

"Does Edward know?" she asked.

My face dropped as I thought about it. "I don't know. He has to. Who else would have told Emmett what dorm room was ours? Although, I should probably call him anyway because I left him with a boy yesterday and I want to know how it went."

"A gay boy? A potential boyfriend boy?"

"Yep! A boy Edward said he had a slight crush on," I replied as I stood up to grab my phone. "How was Tyler last night?"

"He was so good. He did this thing with his hands. . .,"

I interrupted her quickly, "For the love of God, please don't finish that sentence. That was not what I meant."

"I know!" Rosalie laughed at my bright red face as Edward's phone started to ring.

"Hey Bella! How was breakfast?" teased Edward after he answered the phone.

"Hey Edward, how was Jasper?" I teased back. "Breakfast was wonderful and your brother asked me to go mini golfing with him tonight."

"I know. He hasn't been able to shut up about it since he got back."

"He's talking about me?" I asked while shooting a grin to Rosalie.

"Nonstop," replied Edward.

"As happy as that makes me, I notice you didn't answer my question."

"Jasper is wonderful. We went up to my room and talked for a while."

"Just talked?" I asked in disbelief.

"Okay, maybe there was little bit more than talking. I'm going over to his apartment after football and we're going to watch some movies," he said excitedly.

"You like him! How cute!"

"You're dating my brother! How cute!" Edward remarked sarcastically. "And on that note, I'm going to have to say goodbye because we're leaving for the park."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later. I want to hear all about your date."

"Bye Bells."

"Bye." I hung up the phone and turned to Rosalie.

"Well, if the boys are doing boy things we should do girl things," she said.

"No way. I have way too much homework. I have a date tonight so I have to get all of it done now." I moved to sit at my desk and started pulling out my books.

"Alright, I suppose I should do mine too." Rosalie sat down with a sigh and put in her headphones and we sat quietly and did homework. Two hours later, I had finished my paper on cat dissection and was halfway through studying for the nutrition test I was having on Wednesday when Rosalie tapped me on the shoulder.

"What's up?" I asked as I turned to look at her.

"I'm thinking Jimmy Johns for lunch. What do you think?"

"I think a Beach Club sounds wonderful." I handed her my ID and we back to my music as she picked up her phone to call for delivery.

Fifteen minutes later, we were crashed on the couch eating JJs and watching CSI. When we were done, I turned and stretched out on the couch sideways with my head in Rosalie's lap. I turned my head to look up at her and said, "I'm excited. About tonight, I mean."

"You really like this guy, don't you?" she asked, brushing my hair back from my face. I smiled widely and nodded. The blush that spread across my face was so bright that Rosalie threw her head back and laughed. "You don't have to blush. I'm happy for you!"

"Blushing is an involuntary reaction. I can't help it. What should I wear tonight? Do you know how long it's been since I've been on a date? What do people do on dates nowadays?" I asked, starting to worry a little.

"Nowadays? You're twenty, not eighty. Act like it. As for what you should wear, well, it's mini golf. It's pretty active, but also casual. Maybe wear jeans and that really pretty green sweater. And let your hair be curly, because I think it looks cute." I wrinkled my nose at her comments. My naturally curly hair was the bane of my existence. I had to keep my hair past my shoulders or the curls tightened all the way up to my scalp and made me look like a Shirley Temple wannabe.

"Well, now that that's decided, I need to finish studying before I get ready," I said as I got off the futon. I looked at the clock and promised myself I would study for two more hours and then I would start to get ready at five. I could feel myself getting antsy as I opened my book but I set my alarm and forced myself to concentrate on caloric intake and malnutrition.

5:30 found me stepping out of the shower and blow-drying my hair. I tossed some mousse in it and let it stay curly, as Rosalie had suggested. I walked back to the room and saw Rosalie walking out.

"You have twenty minutes. I'll be in the lounge. Enjoy naked time," she said with a grin as she walked away with her PoliSci book. I smiled at her back and locked the door behind me. Rosalie left because she knew I liked to air dry a little bit, so she would leave me alone after a shower for what she had dubbed 'Naked Time.' I turned to my closet and drawers and picked out my clothes. The shoes were harder to decide, but eventually I chose gym shoes because it was too cold for flip-flops. I was dressed and putting on my makeup when Rosalie came back at 6:20.

"You look amazing in that sweater," she commented as she entered the room, almost hitting me in the face with the door. I still had half an hour to wait and I could feel the nervousness creeping into my stomach. I had sat down and turned on the TV, hoping it would distract me from the sick feeling in my tummy, when Rosalie plopped down on my lap.

"Excuse me? I am not a chair."

"Stop being nervous. You'll be fine," replied my roommate.

"How did you know I was nervous?"

"You look like you're going to throw up, plus the seizure going on in your right leg was a dead giveaway." I looked down at my leg and grimaced when I realized that it had been rattling up and down until Rosalie had sat on it.

"Sorry. I'm just. . . anxious. What do I say? What do we talk about? Am I supposed to kiss him when he picks me up? Because we've kissed before? Maybe I just shouldn't go."

"Stop freaking out! You like him, so you're going and you'll talk about anything that comes to mind. Also, kiss him whenever you feel like it. There is not set standard for dating. Now, what kind of underwear are you wearing?" My mouth dropped open as I stared at her in shock.

"This is our second date! I don't plan on letting him see my underwear!" I exclaimed.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because I'm not you!"

"Harsh Bella. Very harsh, and don't think I didn't notice you not answering my question."

"Ugh. I'm wearing the black and green polka dotted set we bought at Victoria's Secret," I admitted.

"Oh my gosh. You wouldn't be wearing those if you didn't want him to see them! Do you want me to not be home when you get back?"

I laughed and wrapped my arms around her waist as I rested my head against her arm. "I'm glad we decided to room together, Rosalie."

"Is that a yes?"

"I don't need you to leave. However, I'll text you if it looks like that's going to change."

"Deal," she said, sliding off my lap to drop on the futon next to me. "Hey, tomorrow can you proofread my English essay?"

I nodded my acquiescence and we feel silent, entranced by America's Next Top Model. ANTM did a good job of distracting me because as soon as the credits started to roll, there was a knock on the door. My eyes widened as I glanced at the clock on the microwave. I turned my panic-filled eyes to Rosalie and my palms started to sweat. She just raised her eyebrows and nodded toward the door I wiped my hands on my jeans and grabbed the doorknob.

He was leaning against the outer doorframe, smiling widely at me. How did I get this lucky? This model-gorgeous, protector of our country wanted to go on a date with me? I snapped out of that self-deprecating thought and allowed my eyes to follow down the line of his body before traveling back up to his face. I was glad to see I wasn't underdressed although Emmett made jeans and a t-shirt seem worthy of GQ.

"Hi there," he said, following my example and dragging his eyes up and down my body. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks. Let me grab my coat and we can go." I turned to my closet and heard Rosalie and Emmett exchange greetings. I turned and Rosalie was standing right in front of me. She grabbed me in a hug and I whispered into her shoulder, "This seemed much easier when I was drunk."

"It always is," she said, giggling. "Now, behave, have fun, and text me if you need anything." I nodded and she turned, pushed me into the hall and slammed the door behind me.

I tilted my head up to see Emmett's face and suddenly felt very awkward.

"Um, hi," I said shyly. Emmett laughed and reached down to pull my body into his.

"Hello Bella." I slid my arms around his waist and buried my face in the concrete chest in front of me. I felt him lean forward and press a kiss to the top of my head. His chest rumbled as he laughed again, making me smile. "I like your hair like this," he said, resting his chin on top of my head.

I pulled back, smiling up at him as I whispered, "Thanks. You look amazing." I let my eyes run up and down him again and I could feel my mouth water. I swallowed harshly and asked, "Are we going?"

Emmett placed his hand on my lower back, making me shiver, and guided me toward the staircase. We walked down to the visitors' parking lot and got into Edward's beat-up white Chevy Corsica. I laughed as I looked around the familiar car and Emmett raised an eyebrow at me in question.

"We call this 'The Pimp Car' because of the pimp-like red interior," I answered to his unspoken question. It could also be funny when one considered the irony of Edward, who had never slept with a girl in his life, owning 'The Pimp Car,' but I wasn't going to be the one to share that joke with Emmett. He laughed and shook his head as he pulled out of campus and onto University Street. I sat awkwardly for a minute, wondering what the hell I was supposed to talk about when I remembered the football game the boys had been playing. "How was football?"

"Edward and I kicked ass. It was the two of us and Tyler against Eric, Mike, and their friend Steve. We pretty much dominated." A breathtaking grin split across his face as he thought about it. "Edward and I also went out for lunch and did some catching up."

We pulled up to the mini golf course and Emmett came around and opened the passenger side door for me. He grabbed my hand and shut the door, pulling me along behind him.

"Someone's excited," I remarked teasingly as he quickened our pace.

He glared down at me while pretending to be offended and retorted, "It's been a long time since I've been mini golfing. Now be nice or you get no ice cream afterwards." He smiled again as I laughed and we walked toward the entrance to the course. The skinny teenage boy at the counter looked up at Emmett and his eyes widened as he asked how tall he was.

"6'4," Emmett answered with a cocky smirk.

"Y-Y-You're probably going to need the extra long club then," the poor boy managed to stutter out. I chuckled lightly. I could relate well to the stuttering boy; Emmett had that effect on me too. I turned my attention to two little boys on the golf course in front of me and I smiled wistfully. All it had taken was my cousin having her first baby to make me realize that I wanted children. Badly. Even at the age of 17 I knew I wanted children more than I wanted just about anything in the world. Emmett had turned back to me while the boy behind the counter got his change and our clubs and he noticed the expression on my face almost immediately.

"Do you like kids?" he asked while smiling at the two boys being chased around the golf course by their father. I hesitated, not sure if I could answer that question honestly without scaring him off. In the end, I decided he asked, so he must want to know but I kept it simple.

"I love kids," I said with a gentle smile.

"Do you plan on having any?" There it was. An unavoidable question that had the potential to make this date very uncomfortable.

"I would really like to someday," I answered slowly, trying to make him understand that my answer didn't mean I would chuck away my birth control at the first sign of sexual contact and use him as a baby factory, although I was tempted; Any baby of his was going to get some damn good genes.

He nodded and then reached around to hand me my golf club and ball. I smiled when I saw the purple golf ball, recalling breakfast this morning when I told him it was my favorite color. My smile faded into a glare as I stared at the golf club he had handed me. It was red and about a foot long. I looked up at Emmett indignantly and put my hand on my hip.

"What?" he asked with a smile so wide it practically split his face in two. "You're short! I was trying to help!"

"So you gave me the kiddy club? Asshole." We both laughed and just like that any awkwardness that remained after the children issue dissipated. I exchanged my club for something more adult and we stepped onto the course. Apparently the first hole was the easiest because Emmett putted and got a hole in one. He smiled at me and I just shook my head and stepped up for my humiliation. I placed my ball on the green, stepped back, lined up my shot and was stopped by Emmett.

"You're doing it wrong."

"There's a wrong way to mini golf?"

"Yup, and you're doing it." He laughed and stepped closer. "You have to relax. You're too tense and you're going to send that ball flying into outer space if you hit it like that."

"Show me how it's done then, Yoda." I remarked sarcastically. I glared at him until he took three steps closer and stopped when he was behind me.

"I think I'll do that, young padawan," he replied as his arms came up around my sides to cup his hands over mine on the club. The feel of him behind me made all my muscles relax and I leaned back against his firm chest and felt his arms tighten. He laughed and leaned forward to whisper in my ear, "That's better. Just relax."

I could feel his breath brushing against my cheek and suddenly relaxing wasn't on my mind anymore. I turned my face up to his to kiss him just as he chuckled and pulled away. I groaned and mumbled under my breath, "Tease."

He laughed again and stepped towards me. His hands came up to my face to pull it towards his. We locked eyes and his proximity along with the intensity of the look in his stunning brown eyes was enough to make my knees buckle. "Do you want me to kiss you, Bella?" I nodded and slid my arms around his waist. I pushed myself up on my tiptoes to get closer while he leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine. "I'll make you a deal. If you win at mini golf, I'll kiss you."

I backed up and glared at him in disbelief. The disbelief soon turned to anger, which fueled my determination to win. "Fine. Not that I'm planning on it happening, but what if you win? What do you get?"

"You watch The Boondock Saints with me tonight."

"You know, I would have done it if you asked. You don't need to win at mini golf for me to watch a movie with you," I said.

He simply smiled and gestured at the first hole of the course. I huffed and turned back to my ball and the game began.

At the ninth hole I could feel the promised kisses slipping through my fingers because apparently being a Marine makes you really good at mini golf; or maybe that was just Emmett, but whatever the cause, he was solidly kicking my butt.

"Have you always been this good at mini golf? I mean, are you just naturally good at everything?" I asked.

"Edward and I grew up down the street from a mini golf course. We used to play a lot," he said as he knocked his ball into the hole on his second putt. I shook my head in disgust and tried to focus.

Finally, we approached the 18th hole. We had spend the entire course joking and accusing the other of cheating, so I decided if I was going to lose anyway that I would cheat and go down with a bang. I was standing off to the side of the course with Emmett's back to me as he lined up his shot when the idea struck me. He pulled his arm back to tap the golf ball just as my hand reached out and pinched the perfect backside I had been staring at all night. His whole body jerked and his club hit the ball, knocking it into the grass on the right. He spun around to glare at me and his beautiful, whiskey-colored eyes darkened. He dropped his club to the ground and took a small step in my direction.

"That was not nice, Bella," he said stalking toward me. I started backing toward the hole we had just completed; trying to avoid the payback his eyes were promising.

"Come on, Emmett. It was a joke! You're still going to win!"

"I would have won, but now you need to be punished for cheating." As soon as that sentence left his lips he rushed at me and before I could even turn to run, Emmett had me tossed over his shoulder. He squatted down and picked up both of our clubs and carried me down to the entrance.

"Emmett! Put me down!" I exclaimed as I tried to wiggle out of his grip.

"If you keep doing that I'm going to drop you on your pretty little ass and that will ruin my plans for tonight." He turned to the kid behind the counter and gave him a grin while handing over our golf clubs. "Thanks man. Have a nice night." With that, he spun around and walked to the car.

"You have plans for my 'pretty little ass,' do you? Might I be made aware of these plans?"

"Nope," he replied as we reached the car. He gave my rear a quick smack and I let out an embarrassing squeak before he dropped me on my feet and opened the passenger door of the car.

"Oh, so now you want to be a gentleman? After you just threw me over your shoulder like a caveman?"

"You started it, sweetheart," he said, gesturing to the passenger seat. I slid into the car and he shut the door, walking around to his side. I looked down at my hands as Emmett got in the car and I started laughing. "What's so funny?"

I opened my fist and he let out a quick bark of laughter as soon as he saw the small purple golf ball resting in my hand.

We arrived back at Edward's house and it was eerily quiet. "Where is everyone? I don't think I've ever seen the house this empty."

"Mike and Eric are at the frat for some 'father-son activity,' Tyler is out with Rosalie, and Edward went to his friend Jasper's apartment," he answered. I had to turn away to give myself time to hide the smile on my face at the news that Edward and Jasper were getting along so well.

"Since we're all alone, does that mean I get my kiss now?" I asked with a smile.

"Did you already forget our bet? You lost, therefore we watch Boondock Saints."

"You didn't win because neither of us finished the game," I argued. A fleeting sense of dread welled up in my stomach suddenly. What if he made the bet because he didn't want to kiss me? Maybe I was bad at it; it had been a while. No. I pushed those thoughts away and focused on my inner-Rosalie. WWRD, what would Rosalie do? At this thought, my confidence fell over me like a blanket and I felt my shoulders relax. "However, I'll watch the movie with you anyway because I'm being the bigger person."

He popped the movie in and sat down on the couch. I took off my shoes and glanced quickly at the couch, wondering where I was supposed to sit, before finally going with my gut and settling down right next to Emmett. The movie started and about twenty minutes in, as soon as Sean Patrick Flannery threw the toilet off the roof, I was hooked. Half an hour later, Rocco shot his cat and I was laughing so hard my stomach was starting to cramp when I felt Emmett shift and I looked to my right and saw him stand up. "I'll be back in a minute."

I paused the movie and got up to grab a drink from the kitchen. I opened my Pepsi and leaned against the counter still laughing about the cat before returning to the living room a few minutes later. Emmett was laying down on the couch, his 6'4 frame spanned from one end all the way to the other and he was covered by a blanket I recognized as Edward's.

"Am I supposed to sit on the floor, then?" I asked teasingly. He shook his head and pulled the blanket back, silently asking me to join him. I settled down with my back to his front and cuddled into him when I felt his arm and the blanket wrap around me. One hand landed on my hip and slid over my shirt to my stomach to pull me tighter against him and one of his legs slid in between mine. I could feel fire spreading out from every part he touched. My back burned where it met the hard line of his chest, my thighs warmed where his knee rested between them and flames started where his breath brushed my cheek and neck. Emmett's hand was rubbing soft circles above my belly button and I felt my muscles clench and heat flooded down to other places as well. I pressed back harder against him and I felt his breathe catch. His other hand pulled my hair to the side and laid one gentle kiss on my neck below my ear. I let out a whimper and the hand that was on my stomach rubbed harder, pulling my sweater up farther with each circle. His nose nuzzled along my neck as his hand slipped down to the skin that was bared under the hem of my shirt.

I felt his groan when his coarse hand met the smooth skin of my stomach. "So soft," he whispered into the junction between my neck and shoulder before laying a kiss there.

I shifted to the left so I was lying on my back, which pushed Emmett's hand farther up so it rested against my ribcage. I slid my arms around his neck and pulled him down so his face was level with mine.

"Can I have my kiss now?" I whispered. He made a gruff noise that sounded like a growl before he pressed his lips to mine harshly. This kiss, although very different from the first one, was no less intense and awe-inspiring. His lips were soft and warm against mine despite the desperate force behind the kiss and when his tongue slipped out to trace my bottom lip I sighed and opened my mouth. Our tongues touched, his hand tightened on my ribs and his thumb caressed my skin just below the wire of my bra. My hands ran down from Emmett's neck all the way down his back to the bottom of his t-shirt and I slid my hands underneath it. I felt the smooth, warm planes of his back and the muscles quivering as I ran my fingernails up and down them. I shifted my body closer to Emmett and pulled down on his shoulder blades, pressing his hips in between my legs. He pulled his lips away and leaned his forehead against mine, breathing heavily.

"I've wanted to do that all day," he murmured against my lips.

"Then why bet on the mini golf game?" I tried to be angry or at least annoyed but I felt too drugged by his presence to feel anything more than desire and a fleeting curiosity.

"Because you look so damn gorgeous when you're flustered," he replied and I could feel the grin as he kissed his way down my jaw. His teeth bit down on the cord of my neck causing me to moan and buck my hips up into his. Emmett responded by grinding his hips back into mine and reaching his hand up to cup my breast through my bra. I gasped at the sudden feeling and I felt his other hand slide down my back to cup my bottom and pull me into him. Our hips rocked together again and I could feel him, hard and hot, pressed against me. His mouth left my neck to kiss me again and I removed my hands from his back and started tugging up the hem of his shirt.

"Off," I mumbled, yanking at the shirt. Emmett pulled his hands away from me, got up onto his knees and yanked his t-shirt over is head and tossed it on the ground next to the couch. Emmett clothed was something to see, but Emmett shirtless caused my mouth to water. I felt a surge of wetness soak my underwear at the sight. I wanted to run my fingers over the smooth, sun-kissed skin, I wanted to touch the perfectly formed pectorals, and I wanted to run my tongue over the lines of his six-pack. His dark eyes ran down my body and the pressure of his gaze was enough to make my nipples harden.

"Your turn," he said roughly. I sat up and my hands went to the bottom of my shirt before his hands grabbed my wrists. "Let me."

I whimpered at the promise in his husky voice as he gently peeled off my sweater. My bra was part of a set that Rosalie and I had bought on a whim a few weeks ago. It was black with green polka dots and it produced a respectable amount of cleavage out of my modest B cup. Still kneeling over me, Emmett reached his hand forward and ran the back of his fingers down the swell of my breast above the cup of my bra. "Beautiful," he whispered. At his words something inside me snapped and I launched myself at him. I pushed him back so he was sitting up on the coach and climbed into his lap. I pulled his face to mine with one hand while allowing the other to travel down the perfect torso in front of me. I tweaked one of his nipples making him growl into my mouth. He grabbed my hips and forced me down harder into his lap. The friction caused a shock of pleasure through my system that made me throw my head back and moan. The moan grew louder when Emmett started planting hot, wet kisses down the length of my neck and brought one hand back up to pull aside the cup of my bra. My hips ground harder against his and my eyes rolled back in my head. His kisses continued lower and I cried out when the harsh heat of his lips wrapped around my nipple.

Suddenly Emmett stiffened and grabbed my shirt from the couch and tossed it at me. "What's going on?" I asked just as I heard the deadbolt of the front door unlock. I threw my shirt on and tried to get off Emmett so he could get his but we ended up getting more tangled and falling to floor just as Edward walked in the door. He took one look at us, disheveled and half naked laying on the floor, and burst out laughing.


	4. Burn

**A/N: First of all, I want to thank everyone who reviewed. You are amazing and it really makes me want to keep writing. That said, there's lemons in this chapter, because where would the fun be without them? Haha. Enjoy. I know I enjoyed writing it. ;)**

Disclaimer: I own… a TV and crappy futon, and not much else. So… not mine.

Chp 4: Burn

"_I'm burning like a bridge for your body."_

_-Brand New_

Emmett and I spent almost all of our time together over the next few weeks. The only time we spent apart was time he used to catch up with Edward and I used to furiously run through homework and studying so I could be prepared for classes and spend more time with him. Rosalie considered it too much time spent together, but I couldn't make her understand that he was only going to be here for a month! We had to make the most of the time we had.

"Exactly, Bella. He's only going to be here for a month! When I told you to go after him, I meant get some and get out! You're getting attached and he's leaving soon. I don't want to see you get hurt," Rosalie explained after a week of watching Emmett and I orbit around each other.

"I like him, I'm having fun, and I would rather spend the next month with him and watch him leave than go back to spending all my time in the library being miserable," I argued.

"You really think you're going to be able to watch him leave? Just like that? Are you two going to stay together? Are you going to write? Call? Or is it just going to be over?"

Truthfully, Emmett and I hadn't really talked about it. As irresponsible as it was, I think we were just trying to stay happy as long as we possibly could. How did I feel about Emmett leaving? Did I want to try long distance for however long he was away? How would we communicate? Rosalie's questions, although they seemed unnecessarily harsh, forced me to think about the problems that were coming. How did I feel about Emmett leaving? It upset me. Sometime in the last few weeks I had grown attached to the point that the idea of him leaving caused a physical pain in my chest. I don't believe that it's possible to love someone after so short a time, but I knew the more time we spent together, the more I liked him. I was already on my way to loving him and losing that before we really had a chance to explore it would be devastating. Could a relationship so young and new survive months apart with little to no communication? Did I even want to try?

Yes. I knew without a doubt that even if it broke my heart to let him go for months, it would be much more painful to let him leave forever. If Emmett wanted me to, I would wait. But did he want me to? Was this just a fun fling before he left for duty? Could I handle it if that's all it was? I shook my head and resolved to talk to Emmett about it soon. I had made my decision; all I could do now was wait for his. I let my mind wander away from my nutrition homework and it settled on memories from the last three weeks. I smiled as I remembered Edward's face when he found Emmett and I on the floor of his living room. He was never going to let us live that down. He had called me the next morning just to tease me. I had answered the phone, unaware of what was in store for me.

"So, I'm guessing you had a good time last night?" Edward asked as soon as I picked up the phone.

"Jerk. You show me yours; I'll show you mine. How was Jasper?"

"He's good, but obviously we're doing something wrong because it looks like you got farther than I did," he cackled. Yes, cackled.

"Can we please not talk about this?" I begged.

"We can stop after you tell me how far you got with Emmett."

"Edward!"

"Tell me! I'll tell you all about Jasper after!"

"We made out, that's it," I finally huffed into the phone after realizing he wasn't going to stop until he got answers. "Tell me about Jasper." The next half an hour was spent with Edward detailing how nice, sweet, smart, good-looking, and tasty Jasper was. I was a little surprised that they really hadn't gone very far and Edward was quick to explain that Jasper was just raised a gentleman.

"I'm kind of a big guy, ya know? I never thought of myself as the woman in any relationship but Jasper opens doors for me and shit! It's so cute!"

I laughed at his enthusiasm and had to smile. It was good that Edward was finally getting some happiness and it was good that this Jasper kid was treating him right.

"I like him already," I said with a grin.

A week after Emmett got to Bradley it was Halloween. Halloween had always been my favorite holiday because who didn't like a night where you could be anyone you wanted? Halloween was always great for me, but I had a feeling this one was going to blow previous years out of the water. It didn't disappoint. Emmett and I had been spending at least a few hours together every day so it was no surprise that he mentioned the Halloween party Tyler and Edward were throwing and asked me if I wanted to go with him. I told him I would only go with him if we wore matching costumes and after hours of pleading and pouting he finally caved. We ended up agreeing that Emmett would be a pirate and I would be a wench but I made the mistake of letting Emmett choose my costume.

"I can't wear this!" I exclaimed as I exited the guest bathroom of Edward's house. "I look like a streetwalker!" Emmett laughed as his eyes wandered down my outfit. It was made up of a low cut, off-the-shoulder white peasant top, a barely-there mini skirt, fishnets, and knee high boots. It also came with a red and white bandana that I tied around my hair and big, gold hoop earrings.

"I think you look hot," Emmett said with a leer. "Besides, it'll make all the other men in the room jealous because I'm the one who came with the streetwalker." I socked him in the shoulder as he continued to laugh and he stood up and reached for me. I skipped to the other side of the room and shook my head.

"No! You get no love. Not if I have to wear this ridiculous outfit." He stepped closer and my resolve wavered as I saw his costume. Now, pirates in general were hot. Captain Jack Sparrow? Hot. The Dread Pirate Roberts (a.k.a. Wesley)? Hot. Emmett dressed as a pirate for Halloween? Priceless. And hot. He was wearing pirate boots, tight black jeans and a red sash that tied around his waist to hold the fake sword that hung to his left. He had a matching bandana covering his buzz cut and there was a black eye patch flipped up onto his forehead so he could see, but it was the shirt that really got me. He was wearing a simple white tunic shirt with a black vest over it, but the tunic was ripped down the front to show Emmett's chest almost all the way down to his abs. I stepped up in front of him and frowned.

"What's with the face?" he asked.

"I think you should change."

"What? Why?"

"Wearing your shirt like that is… it's almost an invitation!" Emmett just raised an eyebrow at me, so I continued. "It's going to make all those girls think they can look! And touch! And I'm the only one who's going to be looking or touching!" My rant trailed off as a horrible thought entered my head. I turned my gaze to the floor and mumbled, "I am the only one who's doing that, right?"

"Bella! Of course you're the only one. Gentleman Marine, remember? It doesn't matter how many of them look because I'm only looking at you. However, you have my full permission to pull the hair of anyone who tries to touch. In fact, I encourage it," he answered with a cocky grin. He opened his arms and I stepped into them with a reluctant smile on my face.

"You're such a pervert," I laughed into his chest as my arms wrapped around his waist. I pulled my head back to look up at his face and whispered, "I should have dressed you as a priest."

The party was a hit, but Tyler's parties always were. I couldn't keep my eyes off Emmett the entire night and, apparently, neither could any of the other girls in the room. I felt violence surge through me and I wanted to scratch out the eyes of anyone who looked at him. I almost took his hair pulling comment literally when Jessica Stanley walked up to him. Jessica and I had been friends last year before she became a flirt, for lack of a better word. Emmett was talking to her and they were laughing and I was glaring, when she stepped closer and put her hand on his chest where his shirt gaped open. Two thoughts ran through my mind simultaneously: 'Oh, no you didn't, bitch,' and 'I knew I should have made him change that shirt.' I started to stalk toward them but stopped myself about halfway. What was I doing? Emmett and I had only been 'dating' for a week. He said I was the only one he was with, but did that make us exclusive? It had been so long since I dated that I wasn't really sure how it worked anymore and I didn't want to go over there angry and make a fool of myself if he was interested in dating Jessica. I turned to look at them again and Emmett caught my eye. His eyes moved over me and I could feel his gaze as if it were his hands running down my body. He crooked a finger at me and gave me a wicked grin that made my insides melt. I began to walk towards him but raised an eyebrow and nodded my head toward Jessica. Emmett shook his head and mouthed 'gentleman marine' to me. I smiled and continued my journey across the room. I stopped behind Jessica and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing at her costume. The quote from the movie Mean Girls came to mind suddenly: "Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it." Stephanie was dressed in little, tiny shorts, a corset-like top, and cat ears with whiskers painted on her face. She was glaring at me and tapping the toe of her shoe on the floor impatiently.

"Can I help you, Bella? I'm a little busy," she complained.

"You can help me by backing up a few steps," I responded as I moved past her and slid both my arms around Emmett's waist. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead gently. I turned back to Jessica and gestured toward the bared chest in front of me. "This? Not yours, so please refrain from touching."

"Wow, possessive much? I don't see your name written on him," she argued.

"It's written someplace you'll never see," I said reaching my hand down to pat the crotch of Emmett's pants gently. The look on his face would have made me laugh if I wasn't so busy tearing down my competition. Jessica huffed and walked away with a glare and I finally let my giggles escape.

"Did you see her costume?" I asked, turning back to Emmett. His eyes were dark and so heavy-lidded he almost looked drunk. "Are you okay?" I asked, starting to worry a little bit. I was about to suggest we go sit down when I was suddenly yanked into Emmett's chest and before I could ask what was happening his lips were on mine. The kiss was deep and hot and forceful. There was no teasing and no waiting. I felt Emmett's teeth bite down on my lip and my mouth opened in a gasp, allowing his tongue to tangle with mine. I whimpered in surprise and desire and fisted my hands in his shirt to hold him to me tighter. I could taste the whiskey he had been drinking with Edward and it made my mouth tingle. His mouth left mine to rain searing kisses down the side of my neck. His tongue flicked over the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder before he bit down gently. My eyes flew open and I moaned, feeling my knees getting weak.

My eyes fluttered as Emmett murmured into my neck. "That was the hottest thing I've ever seen. I like it when you get all possessive." I let a husky laugh escape my lips before I attached them to his collarbone. He pulled back from me and tilted my chin up so I could meet his eyes. His eyes, dark and serious and full of desire, burned through me but it was the words he spoke that caused the wetness to pool in between my thighs. "Stay with me tonight."

My only answer was to grab his hand and pull him through the diminishing crowd toward the staircase. We raced up the stairs, eager to be alone with each other and when the guest room door finally slammed shut behind us, I lunged at Emmett. My lips captured his and I allowed my hands to slide down his back and slip into his back pockets. I squeezed the firm muscle beneath my hands, he moaned into my mouth and his hips pressed against mine, seeking friction. I felt one of his hands cup my hip and then other came up to rip the bandana off of my head. As soon as it was gone his hand fisted in my hair and tugged my head away from his.

"That's better. God, I love your hair," he muttered as I moved my lips across his cheek and bit down on the lobe of his ear. I pulled my hands out of his pockets and undid the two buttons that held together his vest, yanking it down. He shook it off his arms and pulled his shirt up over his head before returning his hand to my hair and wrenching my face to his. Emmett's hand ran down the back of my skirt to cup my thigh and pulled it up around his hip. His hips surged forward and I could feel his arousal pressing against my center.

"Bed. Emmett, please!" I moaned as his hips ground against mine again. He ignored me to trail kisses down my throat and what parts of my chest were bared to his gaze. Suddenly he dropped to his knees before me and started kissing down my covered stomach. He let his tongue slip out to trace the line of skin where my shirt didn't meet the top of my skirt and my hands fell to his shoulders to steady myself. His hands grabbed my ankle and pulled it up to place my foot on his thigh. He looked up, locking eyes with me, as he slowly pulled the zipper of my boot down and slid it off my foot. He repeated this with my other foot and then swept his hands from the outside of my calves up over my knees, my thighs until he found the waistband of the fishnets I was wearing. I let out a shuddering breath as he pulled them down my legs and his eyes left mine as he helped me kick them off. His hands retraced the soft skin of my legs, unhindered by fabric and as his hands curled around the backs of my thighs, he groaned and pressed his forehead into my stomach. He let one hand slip farther around my thigh and I cried out as I felt his fingers tease my panty-covered core.

His head left my stomach and he looked up at me and whispered, "Take off your shirt, Bella." I was reluctant to remove my hands from his body but I complied and was rewarded with his warm mouth kissing and nipping at the skin of my stomach. I felt a new surge of wetness seep from between my legs and Emmett must have felt it too because his lips left my tummy and he sat back on his heels. His hands pulled me closer to him and he pressed his face against the crotch of my skirt, inhaling deeply. "You smell so good. I can't wait to taste you."

I whimpered and my hips instinctively pushed closer to his face. "Emmett, please," I begged. His hands left my thighs and reached for the zipper on the back of my skirt. When it was undone, his hands grabbed my skirt and my underwear and dragged them both down my legs. I stepped out of them and reached around to unhook my strapless bra, tossing it onto the chair in the corner. He moaned as his eyes ran down my body and when his hands reached out to pull me closer, I grabbed them with my own. I pulled up on his arms, telling him silently that I wanted him to stand. He stood and kicked off his boots as my hands reached for the waist of his jeans. I felt his warm skin under my hands as I moved my hands to undo his button and I leaned my head against his shoulder, my body shaking too hard to support me on its own.

"Are you okay?" Emmett asked from above me. I nodded and grabbed his zipper, pulling it down slowly, tooth by tooth. I tilted my head up to kiss his collarbone and allowed my lips to travel farther down his chest. "Bella, you're killing me here."

I giggled softly and slid my hands into the waist of his jeans, pushing them down off his hips. My eyes wandered down from his face to his chest to the chiseled muscles of his stomach. The patch of dark hair leading down from his stomach caught my attention and I let my eyes follow the trail. I let out a gasp when I saw the treasure that awaited me. He was bigger than any man I had ever seen before and the thought of having him fill me was creating a tremendous ache inside me. Emmett stepped closer and his whole body pressed against mine. I couldn't hold back the cry as I finally felt us pressed together without the barrier of clothing. He took another step forward, forcing me back until I felt the bed hit the back of my knees. He gave a gentle push and I feel backwards into heaven. I felt cool satin hit my back and I moaned at the sensual feeling.

"I take it you like the sheets," Emmett said with a grin before turning his lips to my ear as he hovered over me, propped up on one arm. Warm puffs of air hit my sensitive lobe as he whispered, "I bought them for you. Picturing your beautiful body naked against slippery, black sheets got me hard every time. And, God, it's even better than I imagined." His lips met mine once, gently, and he asked, "Can I touch you, Bella?" I nodded and his lips crashed into mine with more force as his fingers traveled down to the inside of my thigh. His hand moved down to tease my entrance with one finger before trailing up to flick against the nerve center, making my hips jerk. A gasp left my mouth as he suddenly pushed two fingers inside my core and pushed his palm flat against me. Every movement of his hand sent sparks shooting down my spine and I could hear whiney, desperate noises leaving my throat before I could stop them.

I felt his lips on the swell of my breast as he kissed and licked his way toward my nipples. His other hand came up to cup my other breast and I arched my back as his thumb ran over one hardened peak and his tongue swirled around the other. I reached my hand out and ran it down the hard lines of his stomach, fingering the trail of dark hair, before moving it down to wrap around his hard length. I moaned again at the feeling of holding him in my hand before I felt his hand leave my chest and grab mine. His hand grasped my wrist and pushed my hand up, pinning it next to my head.

"Leave it there," he whispered forcefully, before returning and kissing his way down the valley of my breasts, down my stomach, stopping when his lips reached where his hand was resting. His tongue slipped out and touched a part of me that made me see stars. It had been so long since someone had touched me like this. I could feel my stomach tightening, signaling the release I so desperately needed but I didn't want it like this.

"Emmett, stop. Please, I need you."

"What do you need?" he asked with that sexy grin.

I was so lost in the feeling that I couldn't even be embarrassed about the needy, breathless tone of my voice as I answered. "I need you…Inside me, please." His eyes met mine and he nodded, shifting over me and settling between my legs. I felt the head of him pressing into me and I pushed my hips up, hoping to entice him to hurry. He stilled my hips with one hand and rested his forehead against mine for a minute, before gently kissing my lips and pushing into me. My eyes fluttered back into my head as the exquisite feeling of being filled ran through me. Emmett pulled back and thrust forward again, over and over, pushing harder with each thrust. I braced my feet on the bed and wrapped my arms around his shoulders to pull him in closer to me. His arm went around my waist, pulling my body up to meet his thrusts, changing the angle and causing him to hit a spot that made my eyes shoot open and tore a scream from my throat. His lips met mine harshly and our tongues battled and our teeth bit and pulled while our bodies pushed each other higher. That familiar tightening started again and I moaned against Emmett's mouth. His hand slipped down between us to pinch at my clit just as he thrust into me and I felt the tension in my stomach explode. I screamed his name and I felt him groan mine into my neck as he buried himself inside of me and we both came apart.

I haven't slept in my bed since. The fist time was fast and hard because we both needed to get it out of our system. The next time, about twenty minutes after the first time (thank God for virile young men), was slow and gentle and Emmett gave me orgasm after orgasm until I was so spent and sore I didn't think I was going to be able to walk the next day. Every time after was just as good as the first. After a week of this I was beginning to feel like Pavlov's dogs with the bell. Every time Emmett's hand would touch mine, every time his lips would touch my forehead, every time he stepped up behind me my hands would shake and my mouth would water. The intense attraction I had had for him since the beginning had not faded. If anything, the chemistry between us had only grown hotter. The best part? It wasn't just his body, or the intense, powerful sex we were having.

Emmett was smart. He was well read and very informed. He watched the news for fun. I would crack a joke about Salvador Dali and he would get it. His views on the meaning of certain works of art had me laughing so hard I almost split my sides in the middle of the gallery he had taken me to. He would debate with me on the best work of authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Emmett always said Love in the Time of Cholera was the best, but I was stubborn in my love for One Hundred Years of Solitude) and I was floored when I realized he had read them in their original Spanish. He was fluent in French as well, which he attributed to excellent high school teachers and having to speak it when on a six month deployment in Africa. My high opinion of him, however, didn't blind me to his faults. He was also vulgar, jealous, possessive, quick-tempered, and he had an unhealthy obsession with my breasts. He thought nothing of reaching over and giving me a quick grope in front of other people, which I always smacked him for though it never seemed to discourage him. He angered easily and cooled down just as fast, but he could hold grudges forever. He told me he was still upset at his friend Matt who stole his girlfriend Lisa when they were 12.

I told him about my younger brother who was my best friend and who I talked to, one way or another, almost every day. I told him about visiting family in Ireland every summer and how I had always wanted a dog, but couldn't have one because my father was allergic. I told him about my parents, my home, my life before I met him, my hopes, my dreams, my fears. I told him everything about me and he did the same. He told me how his parents escaped from the fighting and hatred in Bulgaria and the surrounding states and came over here to give their children a chance at a better life. He told me this was the reason they couldn't accept his military career; they couldn't understand why he would go to a life of fighting when they had worked so hard to make sure he wouldn't have to. He told me stories about growing up with Edward and stories about ex-girlfriends that made me crazy with jealousy. We learned everything we could about each other and every moment spent together was filled with laughter and stories and mind-blowing kisses, but we both knew it couldn't last.

Time passed. Emmett was leaving in less than a week. We had yet to talk about what we were going to do and I was afraid to bring it up. The more neither of us brought it up, the more I was afraid that I was the only one invested. Emmett didn't seem worried about the lack of time we had left, which in turn made me worry more. I kept my fears to myself because who could I talk to? Edward was Emmett's brother; he couldn't be objective because he loved us both so much. I could have asked Rosalie, but I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach her saying 'I told you so,' so I pretended everything was okay. Even if this was a month-long fling for Emmett, I was determined to at least try to show him that I felt more.

Edward and the boys were taking Emmett out for a 'man day,' whatever that was, and Emmett was not too pleased about it. He mumbled something about the last five years of his life being 'man days' and how he could use a few more 'woman days' before they carted him off. As much as I loved spending time with Emmett, his absence gave me the time I needed to find the going away present I wanted to give him. I spent most of the day online looking up military codes of conduct, and in the end I decided to go talk to a local jeweler about what I wanted. He informed me that what I wanted was fairly common and that it could be worn on dog tags without violating any of the strictly enforced military dress codes. I looked down at the small, silver disc in my hand and smiled. It was the medal of St. Michael, the patron saint of soldiers. St. Michael would protect Emmett while he was away and I wanted that for him, even if we weren't going to stay together.

"Would you like to engrave the back? I can have it done in three hours," asked the jeweler gently. I looked up at him in surprise before a small smile spread across my face.

"Why, yes I would. Can you fit this?" I asked and scrawled a message across the back of the paper in front of me.

"It will be a bit tight, but I believe it will fit," he answered with a sweet smile.

Emmett was supposed to be back around seven, which gave me an hour to get ready. I had picked up the medallion and showed it to Rosalie. She didn't quite understand.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's St. Michael." I responded.

"Okay, but why?" Like most American teenagers, Rosalie went to church on Christmas and Easter and probably had never read The Bible, so the fact that she didn't understand the point of the medal didn't surprise me.

"St. Michael is the patron saint of soldiers. Emmett can wear it on his dog tags and he will be protected while he's overseas, or wherever he's going."

"What does it say on the back?" Rosalie asked, trying to grab the small oval from my hands.

"Nothing you need to know about," I answered and put the medal back in its box just as Rosalie made another grab for it.

"Will he understand the whole 'patron saint' thing?"

"I hope so. Edward told me their family is really religious. His exact words were 'old world Bulgarian and extremely devout Catholics.' Even if his parents don't approve of his choices, his mother probably still prays to St. Michael. He should recognize it."

"I know their parents are really religious, but is Emmett? Because Edward doesn't even go to church unless he's at home; and he only goes then to appease his parents."

"He believes. He goes to church when he's on base, but it's hard when he's on deployment. He's slightly more religious than Edward and I think that's part of the reason Edward has avoided telling him for so long. The church frowns upon homosexuality and I think he's afraid Emmett's religious beliefs will make him turn away without even trying to accept it."

"Do you think that will happen?"

"Emmett isn't _that_ religious. He is religious but he's still a part of this generation. He believes in birth control, he obviously believes in premarital sex. I don't think his religious beliefs will be the cause of the problem."

"But you think there will be a problem?" Rosalie asked.

I hesitated before answering. "I haven't brought it up because I was afraid I would be too obvious about it and I wanted to give Edward the chance to tell Emmett himself but from what I've seen… Emmett loves Edward. He's genuinely happy that he gets to spend time with him and you can tell that being distant for so long hurt him. I think it will take Emmett some time to get used to the idea, but I don't think he would ever do anything that would harm the relationship they just reestablished. So, do I think Edward needs to worry about Emmett never talking to him again? No."

"Is Edward going to tell him before he leaves?"

"I would hope so. He said he was planning to but he's been so busy with Jasper and I've been with Emmett so we haven't actually talked about it in a while," I answered just as my phone rang. "That's Emmett. I have to go. Wish me luck!"

**A/N 2: Please review! Even if you didn't like it. Especially if there's grammatical errors, because I'm posting this unbeta'd. Thanks.**


	5. Decisions

**A/N: Hello again! Sorry this chapter is a little late, I had a craaaaaazy weekend and then came down with the flu. I want to thank everyone who reviewed because it means a lot to me, and I promise once I get more used to this writing schedule thing I'll start responding to them. **

**Also, as a side note if anyone's interested, I was listening to "Wait For Me" by Theory of a Deadman while writing this chapter. I thought it was fitting considering the conversation near the end! :)**

**Disclaimer: If they belonged to me…. I would be rich and I would play with Emmett all the time. But they don't.**

Chp 5: Decisions

"_The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want."_

_-Ben Stein_

I was nervous as I approached the house that had become so familiar to me. I stopped on the porch and closed my eyes, wondering again if the gift in my purse was a good idea. What if he didn't like it? What if he didn't understand the quote on the back? We had talked about the book it came from because it was a childhood favorite, but I was still afraid he wouldn't get it. I knew without even opening the door that we would be having the talk I had been dreading for the last three weeks, but I resolved not to be one of those girls who threw themselves under the bus. I would not overreact; I would not be weak enough to end this in an attempt to take the easy way out. If he wanted this to be over, he was going to have to come out and say it. It would hurt, but at least I would know With this decided, I stepped up to the door and my knuckles only barely managed to graze the wood before the door was yanked open.

"I'm glad you're here. I'm going to tell him tonight. You'll help me won't you? I mean, you'll be there? To stop him from hitting me? I don't think he'll kill me if you're there," babbled the nervous man in front of me.

"Edward, calm down. He's not going to kill you," I replied gently, but inside I was worried. Not that Emmett would ever hurt Edward, but I was worried that this revelation may have a negative impact on the conversation _I _needed to have with Emmett. If I were a better person, I would have given Edward this day and waited to give Emmett time to adjust before making him have the relationship talk as well but in all honesty, I didn't want to wait another day. The questions that bounced around in my head were driving me insane and I needed answers before I turned into my Uncle John and ended up streaking out of a movie theater totally naked, screaming about little toy soldiers. "Can I talk to him first? I just want to give him something. Maybe it will put him in a good mood for your conversation."

"Yeah, he's in his room upstairs. Just bring him down whenever you're ready," Edward replied. I looked up at him and almost cried when I saw the look on his face. He was pale and there were bags under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept in days and I realized with a start that he probably hadn't. The panic and exhaustion were clear in his eyes and I sent up a silent prayer that his fears were unfounded because any other result might destroy him.

I stepped forward and slid my arms around his waist. "It will be okay," I whispered into his shoulder. "I know I haven't been around much, but you have to know that no matter what happens you have me. We'll get through it together." I pulled back and smiled at him before turning and walking up the stairs. I knocked on the door of the guestroom and waited.

"Come in!" Emmett's deep voice rang out from behind the door. I pushed it open and stopped short at the sight in front of me. I had had sex with this man, I slept in the same bed with him every night for the last two weeks, I had spend every spare minute I had with him, but that first sight of him always took my breathe away. He was standing in the doorway to the guest bathroom with a pair of jeans slung low on his hips and a towel wrapped around his neck. I could see the water droplets falling down his chest and trailing down his abdomen, and I had to physically restrain myself from dropping to my knees in front of him and cleaning up the water with my tongue. Luckily, he spoke and I was distracted by the sound of his voice.

"Hey baby. Sorry, I'd hug you but I'm all wet," he said with a grin before running the towel down the front of his body. I groaned and dropped own face first on his bed so I didn't have to watch him tease me anymore. He laughed and gave me rear a quick smack as he walked to the closet.

"How did the 'man day' go?" I asked as he pulled a shirt over his head.

"We went to a hockey game and then had beer and chicken wings at Hooters."

"Any hot waitresses?"

"None as beautiful as you," he replied as he dropped on the bed next to me on his back. I scooted over so I could wrap an arm around his waist and bury my face in his shoulder. His hand slid down my spine to my back pocket and lightly traced the bulge there. "What's this?"

"It's for you," I mumbled into his arm, too embarrassed to face him as he opened it. I wiggled my butt, encouraging him to pull out the small box and squeezed my eyes shut as I felt him open it. He was silent for a moment and I was tempted to look up to make sure he wasn't angry but the coward in me won and I refrained. " 'You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.' That's from Winnie The Pooh isn't it?" I looked up to see him tracing the engraving on the back of the medal. He looked down and caught my eye. I couldn't decipher the look on his face; it didn't look angry but it wasn't exactly ecstatic either. "Saint Michael, the protector of soldiers. You got this for me?"

I looked up at Emmett and I felt my face flush as I debated how to answer him. "I don't really know what's going to happen next week, but I wanted you to know that I care about you and … and what we … The last few weeks meant a lot to me, even if it doesn't… last, after you leave."

"Bella, I know we've both been avoiding this topic since the beginning but I think maybe now's the time to talk about it." He looked so serious and since that didn't happen very often it made me nervous so I took the easy way out and avoided once again.

"Edward really needs to talk to you about something first," I said quickly. It was probably better in the long run anyway. I wasn't sure how he would react to Edward's news or how he would react to the fact that I knew and didn't tell him. Emmett looked at me for a minute, then nodded his head and rolled off the bed. He held out his hand and yanked me to my feet, pulling me into his chest. I slid my arms around his waist and let him hold me, taking in the unique smell that was simply Emmett. He pulled back an inch and smiled down at me.

"Thank you for my present. It means a lot to me. I'll wear it everyday and it will make me think of you. Although I would be thinking of you everyday anyway." He leaned in and kissed me gently, sweetly, but deeply. I could feel the kiss tingle all the way through to my toes and it gave me hope. It didn't feel like a goodbye kiss. It felt like a kiss that said 'I cherish you and want to be with you forever.' Maybe I was reading too much into it, but it definitely didn't feel like an ending.

I grabbed Emmett's hand and pulled him toward the door. "Alright, now just remember that Edward loves you and you love him. Remember that and everything will be okay."

"Bella? You're freaking me out a little bit. What's going on?" I shook my head and once again told him to remember how much he cherished his relationship with his brother. We walked down the stairs and found Edward pacing back and forth in the living room. He stopped when he saw us standing at the stairs. He stared at us, wild-eyed for a minute before gesturing toward the couches.

Emmett sat down and I looked to Edward for guidance. He glanced at me and muttered frantically, "You promised. You said you would stay!"

I settled down on the couch next to Emmett and said reassuringly, "I'm not going anywhere."

Edward shot me one more frantic glance before dropping heavily into the chair in front of us. His mouth opened and then he sighed and closed it. He took a deep breath and finally began. "Emmett, there's something I want to tell you. Now, don't say anything until I'm done because if you do I won't be able to get this out. I, umm… Remember when we found that dirty magazine under dad's bed when I was like 15? And remember for my 17th birthday you snuck me into a strip club while you were home on leave? Well, it kind of made me realize that I don't actually like… women. I mean, I like them, but I don't… like them." He stopped speaking and silence reigned for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak again. I shook my head sharply, causing him to shut his mouth and drop his eyes to the floor.

I turned my head to the side to look at Emmett. His mouth was open and he was staring at Edward in shock. The tension in the room was oppressive as we all waited for Emmett to speak. After a minute, he turned to me. "You knew about this?" he asked, without any inflection in his voice. That was worse. I almost wished he were angry because at least then I would know. I winced and nodded my head slowly. He turned back to Edward. "Do Mom and Dad know? Does everyone know? Was I the last one to find out?" His voice had started to get louder at the end and I placed my hand on his arm and an attempt to help soothe him.

Edward's head shot up at Emmett's accusing words and he was shaking it back and forth quickly. "No! No, no one else knows. Just Bella and my roommates. And Rosalie, but that's it."

"You've known since you were fifteen and you didn't tell me? Five years, Edward?"

"I suspected that I might be. I didn't _know_ for sure until I came to college," Edward answered.

"Why didn't you tell me then?" Emmett asked accusingly.

"You never came home!" Emmett yelled. "When was I supposed to tell you? Should I have written you a letter?!"

The anger fell from Emmett's face instantly and a guilty, haunted look replaced it. "I'm sorry," he said as his head dropped down to rest in his hands. He looked back up at Edward and whispered something in a language I assumed was Bulgarian. Edward sighed and his shoulders visibly relaxed. He said something back and I took that as my cue to leave. I stood and walked back up the stairs to Emmett's room, berating myself the whole time for not learning to speak another language in school, but even if I had there was little chance any school taught the language I would need. I dropped down on his bed and listened to the murmurs coming from downstairs for a few minutes before drifting off to sleep.

My dreams were horrible. They could probably have been better described as nightmares. They were filled with bombs and death and devastation in a random foreign country. Apparently my subconscious was also very worried about Emmett's upcoming tour of duty. I felt myself being shaken awake and Emmett's beautiful face hovered above me. His mouth was set in a grim line, his forehead was creased and his eyes were darkened by sleep, but he looked concerned. "You were moaning in your sleep. And not in a good way."

"Sorry. It was just a nightmare. Go back to sleep," I whispered back, stroking his cheek. He lay back down next to me and pulled me tight into his chest.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, kissing the top of my head. I wrapped my arm around his waist and buried my face in his chest before shaking my head.

"What time is it?" I asked wearily. Emmett glanced over at the clock on the nightstand and informed me that it was a little after midnight. "I'm sorry. I was trying to wait up for you, but I fell asleep." I hesitated before continuing, "Did everything go alright with Edward?"

I felt Emmett sigh beneath my cheek. "It's okay. We talked about… everything. He was mad at me for not being around when he needed me and I was upset with him for not trying harder to keep me around. It was just something we had to get out before we could really move on. We apologized, we both cried like pansies, and now it's over. I have to admit, the gay thing sort of threw me for a minutes. I mean, he's my brother. How did I not realize this? He was my best friend growing up, how did we get to this place where I don't even know him? Did you know that he was afraid to tell me? He was afraid that I would disown him or something. Have I really been that bad of a brother? He is the most important person in my life and he couldn't even be himself around me."

He sighed again and I could hear the sadness in his voice. I held him tighter and let him vent, knowing I wasn't required to answer any of his rhetorical questions. "He has a boyfriend. His name is Jasper, but I guess you knew that since he said you were the one who introduced them. Edward wants me to meet him tomorrow. The boyfriend, I mean."

I rubbed his stomach soothingly and kissed his shoulder. "Are you going to?"

"Of course. I don't want Edward to ever feel like he has to hide anything from me. I'm just nervous about it."

"Because of the gay thing?"

"Surprisingly enough, no. I'm in the military, it happens more often than you'd think. The gay thing doesn't bother me. I just don't really know what to say. I mean, if I had a sister who was dating a guy I'd do the older brother thing. You know, 'if you hurt her I'll kill you and make it look like an accident,' but I don't know if I can do that if it's my _brother's_ boyfriend. Plus, I think that might be a bit hypocritical coming from me, so I'm just not really sure how to act."

"Just be you. You can still interrogate him to make sure he's worthy because that is a brother's right, but he's a good guy. So, just be you and try your hardest to get along."

"You'll come with me, right? I don't want to meet him alone," Emmett pleaded as he pressed his forehead into my hair. "You can help to ease the awkwardness."

"Of course I'll go with you. We can deal with it tomorrow. Go back to sleep."

"We still need to talk," he reminded me.

"Tomorrow," I said, kissing his shoulder once more before letting sleep overtake me for the second time.

I woke to the sun shining in my eyes through the window and a hand slowly caressing my hip. I soaked in the sunshine and the affectionate touch with a smile before turning to face my lover. His hand shifted as I moved and he reached down to squeeze my backside. He used his grip to pull me to him tightly and I groaned when I felt his arousal pressing into my stomach. I shifted restlessly and pressed harder against his thigh as I felt an answering wetness begin in between my thighs.

"None of that now," Emmett whispered gently. "You promised that we could talk today and I think we need to do it now before something else comes along or we get too distracted."

I sat silently for a minute before nodding timidly and burying my head further in his shoulder. I was resigned to my fate, I had accepted that we had to have this conversation but that didn't mean I was going to be the one to start it. After a few minutes of silence, I felt a hand lift my chin gently. I held on to the need to resist for just a moment before allowing him to guide my eyes to meet his. As it happened every time, the world faded away as soon as I saw the deep, chocolate brown eyes of the man in front of me. "Last night you said 'even if it doesn't last after you leave.' What does that mean, Bella? Do you not want this to last?"

"No! I just meant that sometimes men in the military come home and just want to, you know, get their urges taken care of without having to worry about some stupid college girl getting too attached. I just wanted to make sure you know that you don't owe me anything and that I'll understand if you… don't want this."

"Is that what you think this was?" Emmett's eyes widened as he spoke, the concerned gaze sweeping over my face. "Bella, if I just wanted sex, I would have gone off with the first slutty girl who came on to me."

"You didn't?" I questioned, self-deprecatingly.

"Hey, don't ever say things like that about yourself. You are in no way a slut. And I don't say this to be cocky, but you were nowhere near the first girl to hit on me, Bells. However, you were the one I walked home, the one I took to breakfast, and the one I kissed. I don't want you to ever think that I don't want this. It's killing me that I have to leave you without really giving us a chance to be together and I really hope . . . That you'll wait. I know that may be too much to ask, but I want to be with you, Bella, if you'll have me. Now, I'm going to ask you a question and I'll understand if you say no, but at least think about it, okay? I want to give this a chance because I think that we could be happy together. Will you wait for me?"

I felt my jaw drop as his speech made my every dream come true. He wanted me and he was asking me to wait. There was no choice. A radiant smile broke out across my face as I answered. "Of course I'll wait. I know we've only been together for a month, but I already can't imagine living without you. I have so many questions that need to be answered first. Where are you going? Will we be able to talk? Can I write you letters? Where do I send them?"

"It's my final term, which means it'll only be 5 months long, but the first four months will be back in Iraq. The last part will be in Texas for debriefment. When I'm in Iraq, we can write emails and we get 2 weekly phone calls, but I'll have to split them between you and Edward. The debriefment is pretty much a glorified desk job, so I'll have a phone, email access and we're allowed visitors. If you wanted to, maybe you could come down during spring break. I could buy you a ticket and we could get a hotel room, see the Texas sights. But only if you wanted to," Emmett suggested and he seemed almost shy, which was unusual.

I pushed myself up on my elbow and trailed my other hand down his cheek to cup his chin; I drew his face toward mine and covered it with soft kisses. I kissed his forehead, down the bridge of his nose, his cheek, to his jaw line before taking his lips in a sweet, lingering kiss. "I would love to come visit you, baby," I whispered against his mouth. "But you don't need to fly me out. I'll pay for it."

"Bella, I make a decent amount of money and I have close to no expenses because I live on base and don't have to pay taxes. Plus I already have a job offer for when I get out and it's got a pretty nice salary. I _want_ to pay for you to visit me, if you want to come."

"As I said, I would love to visit you. We'll be able to talk on the phone a few times, right? I'll let you know when I can come down. Or I'll send you an email. How often can you check your email?"

"I can check it everyday, unless I'm out on assignment, but I'll let you know when I can't be reached. You should email me every day, even if you don't know when your break is, because Lord knows I'm going to be writing to you every chance I get."

I smiled but I felt my brow crease as I processed the things he had said. I could feel the fear for his safety and the after-effects of my nightmares begin to creep in and a sick feeling of dread settled in my stomach. I made a concentrated effort to push away all the horrible thoughts rushing through my mind and instead focused on Emmett. "Tell me about this job offer."

"Well, I'm planning on moving back to Chicago when I get out and Staff Sergeant Brown told me about this security company so I called them up and one of the owners happened to be in North Carolina where I was stationed so he met me for an interview. He was a nice guy and he said he talked to my superiors and the guys in my platoon and said if I was interested the job was mine. The job is a little more dangerous than just surveillance, but that's what I'm good at. It also comes with great benefits and he offered me an in-building apartment for the first six months so I can get settled in. It's an amazing offer, so I accepted."

"So in five months you'll be back in Chicago for good?" Emmett nodded and gave me that same smug smile that had gotten me into trouble in the first place. "That's good news," I whispered, smiling, before launching myself at him and distracting both of us for the next few hours.

At 5:00, after showering and finally putting on clothes, we made our way over to Jasper's apartment on St. James. Emmett stood outside the door nervously, shifting from one foot to the other. He looked over to me and I smiled and nodded toward the door. He glanced at it, heaved a sigh and knocked on the door. I reached down and grabbed his hand just as the door opened.

"Come on in," Jasper said with a wide grin. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a t-shirt from Abercrombie, and he was barefoot. I glanced around his apartment and I was impressed with what I saw. It was simply designed, but tasteful and with just one glance I could tell Jasper came from money. Although simple, the décor was made of quality material and the couch looked comfortable enough to sink into. We followed Jasper into the sizable kitchen where a delicious smell permeated the air. Edward was standing at the stove, cooking chicken for the fajitas that were creating the amazing aroma. He turned when he heard our entrance and a brilliant smile lit up his face as he padded over, also barefoot, to greet us.

"Hi there!" He leaned down to pull me into a hug before shaking hands with his brother and gesturing toward the kitchen table. "Have a seat! I hope you like fajitas because that's all Jasper knows how to make," Edward said with a smirk reminiscent of his brother's.

Jasper's brought his hand up and smacked Edward across the back of the head with a grin, before turning back to the stove. We made small talk as they cooked, and I could feel Emmett relax next to me, but I knew it was only a matter of time before something made him uncomfortable. I kept my hand in his and a beer in his other hand, just in case. The moment of tension came when Jasper leaned over Edward to grab the peppers. Edward slid his arms around the smaller man's waist and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before releasing him and turning back to his cooking duties. The kiss had been instinctual, a move made purely from habit and displaying a level of comfort that made me smile, but I felt Emmett tense. I squeezed his hand gently, then pulled it up to my face and placed a soft kiss on his wrist. Our eyes locked and he smiled gently before relaxing and immersing himself in the conversation again.

Dinner was delicious and the company was wonderful. I found out a lot about Jasper and I could see why Edward was so fond of him. He was witty, sweet, a wonderful cook, and was totally devoted to Edward even though they'd only been together a short time. They were comfortable, they orbited around each other in a way that made them seem in sync, and the casual touches continued throughout the night. Emmett eventually grew more accepting and stopped flinching every time it happened, and by the time we left everyone was in a better mood, but I was almost aching to be alone with Emmett. The few days we had left seemed like no time at all and I wanted to spend every minute possible alone in bed with my boyfriend before that time ran out.

**A/N 2: I'm thinking about maybe writing a Jasper/Edward one shot to go along with this story, so if anyone would be interested in that let me know and I'll get working on it. Have a nice day and please leave a review!**


	6. Courage

**A/N: Yeah, holidays and RL are fail. I'm so sorry! This chapter is kind of shorter than the others, but I wanted to give you guys something before you all just gave up on me. **** Let me know if you like it! **

**Also, a big thanks to Sinvisigoth (hopefully you read this), because your reviews and PMs always manage to brighten my day, even when I do read them two months late. **** So thanks.**

Chp 6: Courage

"_A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what ships are for."_

_-William Shedd_

Time passed too fast and before I knew it, Emmett was leaving in 23 hours. But I wasn't keeping track or anything. His bus was going to leave at 5 o'clock tomorrow and I had promised I would bring him to the bus depot. In order to accomplish this, and because Emmett had a 'surprise' for me, I was planning on spending the night at Edward's house. Emmett said he had managed to get the house empty for the night and wanted to spend the rest of his time in Seattle with me.

I was supposed to pick him up at six and he had told me to dress up, but I didn't know where we were going. I pulled up in front of the boys' house half an hour early, too eager to see Emmett to wait any longer. I walked through the front door, kicked off my pointy, black stilettos, and scampered up the stairs to the guest room Emmett had been staying in. His door was closed when I arrived, so I knocked gently before turning the knob and pushing against the door with my hip. My knees started to buckle and I had to grab onto the doorframe to prevent my body from sinking to the floor as I took in the marvel in the room before me. Emmett was a good-looking man, I had always known that. He looked good in pajamas, he looked fantastic in jeans, he was sexy in his uniform, and when he was naked I usually felt like dropping to my knees and worshipping, but nothing I had seen so far could ever beat the image in front of me. I knew, logically, that part of my vehemence was due to the fact that he was leaving, but there was no denying that this was the best I had ever seen him. His feet were bare, the black dress pants he wore molded to his strong thighs and cradled other parts of his anatomy in a way that made my mouth fall open and I think I might have drooled a bit. His white dress shirt was draped across his broad shoulders, left lying there unbuttoned. The white, silky material contrasted beautifully with the dark sheen of Emmett's skin and the open rift between the buttons of his shirt drew attention to the defined chest and the rippling muscles of his abdomen and eventually down to the dark trail of hair that led to his belt buckle.

My eyes flicked back up to his face and I was met with a wolfish grin and his dark glittering eyes glancing appraisingly down my body. I caught his eye and let a slow smile creep across my face. I took a step into the room but halted when he held his hand up. "We have dinner reservations. I see that look and as much as I would love to spend all my time in bed with you, I promised you a nice dinner."

"I don't want dinner. I don't want to have to share you when we have so little time left. Please, Emmett, can we just stay here? We can order pizza and watch a movie instead," I begged. As gorgeous has he was in his nice clothing, I would rather have a quiet night at home, just the two of us. I stepped forward and slid my hand underneath the edge of his shirt I rested my forehead against the hot skin of his chest as my hands ran up to his shoulders and pushed the white silk down his arms. "Please?"

He groaned low in his throat and tangled one hand in my hair as I pressed soft kisses in between his pectorals. "How could anyone say no to that? Do you need to go home to change?" I shook my head with a smile and reached down to my waist to undo the tie holding my wrap dress together. The silky fabric slid from my arms to pool at my feet and my hands returned to trace the lines of Emmett's belt. The pads of my fingers reached the buckle and I glanced up to see heavy-lidded chocolate eyes staring intensely back at me. "I thought you wanted pizza and a movie."

"I lied." I met his gaze again and applied gentle but insistent pressure on his belt. I backed toward the small bed in the corner of the room, pulling Emmett along with me before coming to a stop at the headboard. I tugged harshly on the black leather that separated me from skin. When the clasp finally opened, I pushed the soft material down his hips and encouraged him with my eyes to step out.

As soon as he was freed of the bundle of cloth at his feet, I pushed him onto the bed and dropped to my knees. I trailed my hands up his thighs and settled them at his hips and then followed the same trail with my lips. I nuzzled against the crease where his right thigh met his hips and I could feel him, hard and hot, against my cheek. I turned my face to place gentle kisses along his length. Before I could take him in my mouth, I felt hands in my hair urging my face up.

"Babe, you don't have to do this. Tonight was supposed to be about you. Showing you how much I'm going to miss you," Emmett murmured, running his hands through my hair. I smiled gently before resuming my previous position.

"I know, but I'm going to miss you too, and I want to give you something to remember." With that said, I flicked my tongue out and gave him a few experimental licks before engulfing his hardness in my mouth. I hollowed out my cheeks and sucked hard as his taste exploded on my tongue. Even in this most intimate place he tasted like chocolate and man and the unique taste that I had come to associate with him. Emmett groaned above me and his hands tightened in my hair, guiding my mouth up and down his shaft harder. He bumped the back of my throat on his next thrust and I swallowed compulsively.

"Fuck, Bella. Baby, do that again," he moaned. I swirled my tongue around him before swallowing again and humming in satisfaction as he cried out. One hand came up to stroke the part of him I couldn't fit and I continued the suction, slowing down and speeding up according to the directions of the hands fisted in my hair. I could feel my arousal building as the strong man in front of me panted and moaned my name. The power I felt at that moment caused a rush of fluid to soak my panties and before I could think about it, I felt my hand push aside the crotch of my underwear. I groaned in relief and delight as my fingers brushed through my swollen folds to my clit and just as suddenly my head was yanked off of Emmett's beautiful cock and my arm was ripped away from the apex of my thighs.

"Did I say you could touch yourself?" Emmett growled at me. I heard a whimper leave my mouth before I could stop it. Fuck that was hot. His hand came down to cup me gently before whispering harshly in my ear, "This is mine. Are we clear?"

I nodded submissively and allowed him to pull me up to rest on top of him on the bed. His hands slid to my hips and he pushed the lacey black boyshorts down my legs where they tangled with the sheets at our feet. My bra followed quickly and Emmett pushed me onto my back on the bed. I felt the warmth of his lips trailing down my body. He stopped briefly at my nipples, placing kisses on each of my peaks, before continuing his journey. "This, all of this, is mine. No one else will be touching this while I'm gone," Emmett stated after locking eyes with me. The silence stretched between us and I realized he was looking for an answer.

I nodded my head and whispered, "Only yours." His lips dipped down to my core and bright lights overtook my senses.

Two orgasms later, I was lying in a heap on top of Emmett when a thought occurred to me. "When you say no one's allowed to touch… That doesn't include me, right? Because I don't know how I'll get through the next five months without a little self help." Five minutes later, still holding his stomach from laughing so hard, Emmett had calmed down enough to speak clearly.

"You're more than welcome to touch yourself, but only if you're thinking of me. In fact, I want you to do it while I'm on the phone with you." He leaned down to kiss my forehead and whispered, "Ready for round two?"

Morning came too early. Edward and his roommates came home and we spent the day watching movies and helping Emmett pack. The time passed too quickly and before I knew it we were saying goodbye to Edward and headed out the door.

We had said our goodbyes back at the house, so as I pulled up outside the bus that would take Emmett to O'Hare airport, I tried to control myself. Jumping into his arms and begging him not to leave would make me feel better, but I didn't want to make him upset. We had said goodbye earlier to avoid making a scene at the bus station. I parked the car and popped open the trunk of my Mustang. Emmett grabbed his sea bags and his uniforms and I grabbed his war bag. We walked to the bus in silence before handing his bags over to the bus driver and turning to face each other.

"Bells, I know we promised not to do this, but – "

I cut him off with a quick "Thank God," before throwing myself into his arms. He held me tightly and laid soft kisses on the top of my head. "I don't want to let you go, " I whispered into his chest, as I tightened my hold on him. "What if something happens to you? What if you meet someone else and don't want me anymore?"

His chest rumbled as he released a gentle laugh. "Baby, the only people I'm going to meet are Marines and if you had ever lived with them you would realize how ridiculous the very idea is. Besides, I only want you. But I can't promise nothing bad will happen. All I can do is swear to you that now that I have something worth living for I will fight like hell to get back to you. Okay?"

I nodded and pressed my face into his broad chest to hide the tears streaming down my cheeks. My breath hitched as he whispered, "I will miss you, Bella. I'll call you as soon as I get on base, okay? It will be sometime tomorrow morning because it's a long plane ride, but right now I have to go." He tilted my face up and wiped away my tears with his thumbs before leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on my lips. Before I could respond he was gone.

I looked up in time to see him step onto the bus and glance back at me. I waved with a sad smile and got into the car. I had managed to pull out of the station and get two blocks away before I had to pull into a parking lot so I could sob into the steering wheel. I missed Emmett already and I couldn't get rid of the nagging fear that something bad was going to happen. In the midst of my crying jag, I heard Rosalie's ring tone begin to play from inside my purse. I ignored the call, and all the others that followed. Edward, Jasper, Rosalie again, my brother, Edward, they all went to voicemail. The sun had started to sink from the sky by the time my crying subsided and as the sobs slowed to hiccups my passenger side door opened.

"You really should lock your doors if you're going to sit around in the ghetto," Rosalie said with a tentative smile as she took in my red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks. I stifled another sob as her arms wrapped around me and I let myself sink into the comfort of my best friend's embrace.

I don't remember falling asleep after Edward put me in the backseat, or driving back to the dorms, or changing and sleeping on the futon, but when I woke up it was hot and I was sweating and aching all over. I sat up gently, trying not to irritate my sore body, and immediately realized why it felt hot in our room. Our uncomfortable black futon had been spread out in the cramped space of our dorm room and people were packed on it like it was a clown car. I was positioned in the middle with Rosalie on my right, pressed against the wall. She had shimmied further down the bed and Tyler's head was resting on her calves as he curled around to fit at the foot of the futon. Edward was cuddled in next to me on my left with one leg thrown over mine, and Jasper was spooned in behind him with his arm thrown over Edward's waist and his hand clutching mine. I laughed quietly and the shaking futon woke Rosalie. She blinked sleepily and turned her head to look up at me.

"What's so funny?" she whispered. I gestured to the motley crew on the black mattress and raised my eyebrow. "They just wanted to make sure you were okay. We were worried when you wouldn't answer the phone last night."

I glanced down at my lap and played with my fingers awkwardly. "Sorry about that, I just couldn't… talk to anyone last night. But thank you. For everything. Yesterday, today, everything else I'm sure you'll do in the next couple of days."

The boys started to stir and I felt Edward wrap his arms around me tighter and yank me back down to the bed. "How are you, baby?"

I sighed and snuggled closer before answering. "I'm doing okay. Emmett is supposed to call sometime today and talking to him will make it better. Until then I'll just have to be okay. How are _you_? I mean, he's your brother."

"True, but I've been without him for a while. I'm used to it. Also, I'm not in love with him so I guess it's easier for me," Edward answered.

"I'm not in love with him!" I exclaimed. A snort came from behind Edward and I sat up to glare at Jasper. "What was that noise for?"

"Sweetheart, everyone knows you're in love with him, except you, apparently. And it's pretty obvious that he's head over heels for you too," Jasper said with a smile. "Maybe you should just admit it to yourself."

"I'm… I don't… We've only known each other for a couple weeks. But I definitely like him and miss him and feel like I'm dying now that he's not here… Okay so maybe I do kind of love him a little. Fuck."

The day seemed to drag on after my revelation. I dealt with the pitying looks from my friends and the exasperation every time I checked my phone. I dealt with the worry and the fear when Emmett hadn't called by dinner time. The boys left eventually so Rosalie and I picked up Chinese takeout from the place down the street and settled in on the couch to watch Dawn of the Dead.

Halfway through the movie, around the time the survivors shot Burt Reynolds, I heard the tinkling sound of my phone begin as a surprising ring tone played throughout the room.

_Baby, you know that I miss you._

_I wanna get with you,_

_Tonight but I cannot baby girl_

_And that's the issue._

_Girl you know I miss you._

_I just wanna kiss you_

_But I can't right now so baby_

_Kiss me through the phone._

_I'll see you later on._

_Kiss me through the phone._

_See you when I get home_.

"Is that Emmett?" Rosalie asked as my ring tone, 'Kiss Me Through The Phone' by Soulja Boy, sounded through the quiet dorm room.

"Yeah. He said he'd call me when they landed."

"Your ring tone for your Marine boyfriend who is in Iraq is 'Kiss Me Through The Phone?' That's hilarious."

"It's not my fault! He must have changed my ring tone for him before he left," I said with a huge grin before hitting the accept call button. "Hey there, stranger! Long time, no see."

His words crackled through the phone and the noises in the background made it difficult to hear, but nothing could have stopped me from smiling like an idiot at the sound of his voice. "Why hello, gorgeous. Did you miss me?"

"You have no idea. Are you finally on base?"

I shivered gently as his deep, throaty chuckle echoed in my ear, "We got in a couple of hours ago, but there was protocol to be followed. I called as soon as I could. How are you?"

"I'm alright," I replied hesitantly, glancing over my shoulder at Rosalie. She took the hint and grabbed her homework and headed out the door toward the lounge. I settled down on the couch and held the phone more tightly to my ear before elaborating. "I miss you. I miss you so much I can hardly stand it. I mean, I knew this was going to be hard, but I didn't realize how much I . . . how addicted I'd gotten to having you around."

"You're going through withdrawal?" Emmett asked with a laugh. "I didn't know you liked me that much."

"Emmett, you have to know that I . . .," I trailed off, unwilling to let the first time I completed that thought to be over the phone. It was the kind of thing a girl should do in person.

"I know, baby. Believe me, I know. I miss you too. Do you want to hear something really fucking stupid?"

"Of course!" I replied with a smile.

"So, I was talking to a couple of the guys in my platoon and I was telling them all about you and they asked what you looked like." The ominous pause at the end of his sentence stretched out through the phone.

"And you couldn't remember what color my eyes are?" I teased gently, hoping to coax the rest of the story out of him.

"And I realized I never developed the pictures on my camera, which Edward has because I didn't want to bring it with me in case something happened to it. I don't even have any pictures of us." I could hear the disappointment in his voice, despite his attempt to mask it. "I'm pretty sure the guys think I made you up," he continued with a sad laugh.

A sick feeling filled my stomach, begging me to take away his pain any way I could. "Give me your address and I'll get the pictures printed and mail them to you. Are you allowed to get cookies? I'll make you cookies. Oatmeal chocolate chip, right?"

He let out a deep, real laugh that pushed away any remnants of the negative emotion that had echoed there and said, "Bella, baby, you're amazing. You always take care of me. I'll email you my address when I get it from my Gunnery Sergeant. Also, it's kind of cute that you remembered I like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and I promise to worship you for the rest of my life if you send me some."

I laughed in response and told him to hold on as I got off the couch and headed toward the ladder of my loft. I climbed into bed and pulled my covers up to my chest and when I was finally settled in I shifted the phone back to my ear and sighed. "Sorry about that, I had to get more comfortable."

"You're in bed right now, aren't you?"

"Yup!" I giggled at the resulting groan from the other end of the phone.

"Tease," he muttered before dropping his voice down to a whisper. "What are you wearing?"

"Why are you whispering?" I asked.

"Because I'm surrounded by a platoon of horny, lonely Marines and if they heard me talking about you being in bed they'd probably whip it out right here and listen in."

"That's disturbing," I said with a smile before answering his previous question. "I'm in my pajamas. Rosalie and I had a movie day to take my mind off how much I miss you. It's not anything fantasy worthy, sorry."

"Baby, anything you wear is fantasy worthy. But mostly my fantasies consist of you not wearing anything, so why don't you take your pants off and let me hear how much you miss me."

**A/N: So, reviews make me want to write phone sex. Phone sex with Emmett = Hawt. I apologize again for the lack of updates but I'm going to try to be better about it. **** Still love me?**


	7. Absence

A/N: Well howdy there, readers. I'm so sorry! There's no excuse I can make for the lack of updating. I went through crazy writers block and school was intense. Luckily it will be summer soon and updates should come much faster then. Until then, I hope you enjoy this. As always, feedback is appreciated. SEE THE END AUTHORS NOTE and please answer the question contained therein. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine, sadly. I may not own Marinemett, but the Marine I do own says hi!

Chapter 7:

"_Absence is to love as wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small and kindles the great."_

_- Roger de Bussy-Rabutin_

I whimpered in response to the vaguely dirty words before I attempted to stutter out an explanation. "Emmett, I don't… I mean, I haven't…"

"You don't… touch yourself? Not ever?" he asked, shocked.

"Not since I started dating," I admitted softly. "That's what I have you for."

"But we talked about this the other night."

"I really thought you were kidding. It's been a while since I've… indulged in some self-love," I answered with a giggle. "I didn't really need to."

"Mmm," he mumbled in agreement. "But thinking about you touching yourself while you're talking to me is so hot. Please, Bella? For me?" he begged. His voice deepened as he whispered, "Don't worry, babe. I'll talk you through it."

"Okay, hold on," I responded nervously after a minute and set the phone down on my pillow. My hands reached for the waistband of my sweatpants and I managed to shimmy them down my thighs, past my knees and kicked them to the foot of the bed. I picked up the phone again and whispered softly, "Ready."

Emmett laughed and at that moment I could almost _see_ the smile on his face. "Are you wearing panties?"

I giggled at the obvious enthusiasm his tone portrayed. "I am. They're the lacey black ones you liked so much. Remember? You saw me putting them on and took them right back off me." The groan that echoed through the phone made me smile widely.

"Baby, you know what that does to me. You little tease," he answered, his voice echoing harshly in the background.

"Where are you?

"Don't ask, babe. There is only one place here to get privacy and I promise you don't want to think about it." He paused before continuing, "Do you remember that night before I left? God, Bella, it's all I can think about. You on your knees, with those pretty lips wrapped around my cock. Do you remember how turned on you were, baby? How wet it made you to suck my dick? It's so hot that it turns you on that much."

"Only when it's you, Emmett. I only like it with you," I whimpered back. I slid my hand down under the blankets and pressed down gently between my thighs to ease the ache his words had provoked. My breath caught and I moaned at the momentary spark of pleasure.

"Are you touching yourself, sweetheart?" The only answer he received was a soft moan that made him chuckle. "So eager. Do you remember what else happened that last night? You pushed me down against the headboard and put my hands behind my head. You told me I wasn't allowed to touch. I sat there and felt your tight little pussy riding me while your beautiful tits bounced in front of me and I couldn't do anything about it. I love it when you take charge, baby."

Emmett had always been very vocal in bed. He was quick to let me know that he liked what I was doing, that I was beautiful, that I felt good, but this conversation was a level of dirty I had never heard him reach. Every word that poured from his lips went straight to my aching core. I hurriedly pushed my panties to the side and firmly pressed my hand against my throbbing clit. My breath hitched as my fingers teasingly brushed over my entrance and I whimpered softly.

A responding groan echoed through the phone. "I love the sounds you make, babe. The first thing I'm going to do when I get home is bury my head in between your thighs so I can hear you make those noises all night." At his words, I roughly pushed two fingers into myself and the palm of my hand scraped against my nerve center. A harsh moan ripped from my throat and I lost control of the words coming out of my mouth.

"Emmett, I need… I can't… God, I wish you were here." The words streamed from my mouth as my hips frantically thrust against my fingers. "I need you to touché me, I need you inside me."

I heard a muffled curse from the other side of the phone and the distinctive noise of skin hitting skin; knowing he was just as turned on by this as I was brought me to a new high. I could feel myself getting closer, but I needed to hear him first. "Emmett, please. Talk to me."

"You know what I never got to do? I always wanted to fuck you in the kitchen. That day you came over in that little tiny jean skirt… damn! You're going to wear it for me when I get home, baby, and I won't be able to stop myself. I'm going to push you into the counter, bend you over, rip down your panties, and fuck you from behind."

My breath quickened and my hips lifted off the bed as my climax overtook me. I moaned out Emmett's name and slumped down into the bed. I could hear Emmett still going over the phone. Picturing him with his cammies pulled down, fisting his beautiful cock while thinking about fucking me gave me a burst of power. After I caught my breath I whispered, "God, baby. I could almost feel your hand fisted in my hair, pulling me back toward you. It feels so good when you get rough."

His breath hitched and he moaned as he came. We were silent for a moment while I tried to slow my racing heart. Emmett chuckled softly. "Dirty girl. I find it hard to believe you've never done that before, Bella."

"You find it _hard_ to believe, do you?" I asked with a giggle. "I haven't. You just bring out the best in me."

"Did you enjoy that, sweetheart?"

"It's not as good as having you here, but it made some of the ache go away," I answered.

"You were aching for me?" he teased gently.

"It got so bad I was tempted to ask Edward if I could borrow his bisexual boyfriend for a night," I teased back.

"I've only been gone a couple days and you're already trying to replace me. Naughty little girl, I ought to spank you when I get home."

Although I knew he meant it as a joke, I felt my skin flush and the wetness begin to gather between my thighs again. My response should have surprised me, but I had realized months ago that anything Emmett did in bed was pleasurable and I should just lay back and enjoy it.

My silence must have lasted longer than I thought because Emmett started backpedaling. "Baby, I was kidding. You know I would never do anything you didn't want me to, right?"

I smiled at the gentle, consoling tone of his voice. "What if I don't want you to be kidding?"

"Ohh…" he moaned into the phone before laughing and replying, "Well that's one visual that's going in the spank bank."

I laughed and decided to move the conversation forward. "So tell me about base life. How was your flight? How are the guys? What's the weather like? What are you going to be doing?"

"Woah, babe. Slow your roll. The flight was fine, there was some turbulence and it seemed to take forever, but obviously I made it here in one piece. They guys are fine. Perverts, rednecks, and butt pirates mostly, but I've missed them…"

"Please don't ever say butt pirates in front of your brother," I begged.

"…As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I'm happy to see the guys, but I would much rather be home with you. What was the next question?"

"The weather. Or base life, either one."

"The weather is crap. It's hot and sunny and sandy and windy and if I lived here I would want to kill myself. There are these horrible wind storms called shamals, where the winds get up to 75 miles per hours. They blow sand all over everything, shit falls over, our tents fly away… You know that cliché about Hell? 'If I owned Iraq and Hell, I would rent out Iraq and live in Hell.' That applies very well here." He laughed harshly before continuing. "As for base life we, we practice being in the field, we eat, sleep, fuck around, wait for letters… Send me a dirty one, will ya?"

"I don't know about that. What if one of your buddies gets his hands on it?" I asked.

"Baby, I would never let it out of my sight. That letter and your picture will be in my pocket at all times. Well, except for occasional masturbation sessions."

"God, you're a pervert," I teased with a grin.

"You love it, " Emmett responded.

We talked for a couple more minutes before Emmett had to go. I made him promise to be safe, I got him to email me his address, and then hung up before I started crying. He told me that he would be calling around the same time every Wednesday unless they were out in the field. I didn't ask what 'out in the field' meant because I really wasn't sure I wanted to know. I made a mental note to get some pictures developed at Walgreens tomorrow and to see if I could use the kitchen at Edward's house to bake some cookies to send before I passed out with a sated smile on my face.

I woke up Thursday morning suddenly grateful that I only had one class on Wednesday, so I hadn't missed too much in my depressed funk. I had three classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but luck had been with me on Tuesday. Two of my classes had been cancelled, allowing me to take Emmett to the bus while only skipping Nutrition. Sadly, today was a full day. I went to all three classes and I was done by 1:30. I had called Edward after my Organic Biology lab and he was going to run errands with me and then help me bake Emmett cookies. Edward's version of helping usually meant he was going to sit in the kitchen and chatter and steal cookie dough while I wasn't looking but, helpful or not, his presence was always comforting.

We chose five pictures to send in the care package. The first was a picture of me, Jasper and Edward that Emmett had taken at dinner at Jasper's house. The second was of Edward and Emmett, standing with their arms around each other and broad grins on their faces. It had been taken the same day as the first one. The third and fourth were both of Emmett and me. In one, Emmett was standing behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist and his chin resting on my shoulder. We had been at the park and I was watching the boys play football. It was windy and our cheeks were pink from the cold but we were both smiling happily for the camera. The second picture of the two of us was from Halloween. Emmett had his arm wrapped around me and I was leaning into his side. Seeing us in our costumes made my mind run wild and I hoped it reminded him of our first time. I scribbled a quick note on the back of the picture: "When I see these costumes I always think of black, silk sheets." It may not be have been a dirty letter, but I thought it got my point across. The final picture was just of me. It was a picture that Rosalie had taken at the party the night Emmett and I officially met.

After placing the pictures and letters Edward and I had written in an envelope, we retired to the kitchen to bake. Edward plopped himself down on one of the kitchen chairs as I pulled out the ingredients and bowls I needed to bake my famous oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I preheated the oven and had just started mixing the first ingredients when Edward spoke.

"So, how are you doing?"

I sighed and replied, "I'm fine."

"No, I mean, how are you really? Come one babe, this is me. No judgment, I just want to make sure you're okay."

"It's hard," I answered after a minute. "I didn't think it would be this hard. He's only been gone for two days and I'm already going nuts without him."

"Did you talk to him yesterday? He said he was going to call you."

"He did and it made it better, but only for a little while. Now I'm back to missing him and being depressed," I admitted with a self-deprecating chuckle. "I used to be independent and self-sufficient. I didn't need a man to be happy. Gloria Steinem would be ashamed."

"She was married, you know. Loving someone doesn't mean you're a doormat. You can love a man and still be independent."

"Says the woman in your relationship."

"Hey!" Edward exclaimed. "I am not the woman! Jasper and I are equally manly."

"Oh please. You may not be flamboyant, but you're still more of a fairy than Jasper. He owns you, I've seen it," I answered with a smirk.

"Can we stop talking about my sex life, please?"

"You always wanted to talk about it before. Now that you actually have one, the subject is off limits? Cruel. My boyfriend is in Iraq, I need to live vicariously through you. Where is your boy today?"

"He has class and then soccer practice."

"Oh my God! Your fairy is a field fairy!"

"Shut up, short stack," Edward scolded me with a grin. "No more mocking my man."

"Nice alliteration there. Have _you_ heard from your brother?"

"He called me for a minute yesterday, just to let me know he got there alright. We didn't chat or anything. He was anxious to talk to you."

I smiled happily at the thought and put the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge. At Edward's questioning look, I explained. "That's the secret to making my special oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. You have to put the dough in the refrigerator for half an hour before baking. It stops the cookies from spreading and keeps them nice and soft." I glowered at him darkly before continuing. "But if you tell anyone, I'll kill you. It's my secret recipe."

Edward laughed and pulled me down in his lap. "God, you're a good girlfriend. If I were straight I'd steal you and chain you to my stove."

"Barefoot and pregnant?"

"That's the only way," he answered with a wide grin. My hand hit the back of his head with a loud THWAP.

"Let's go watch a movie while we wait for the cookies to be ready."

Emmett's care package was all together and chocked full of oatmeal chocolaty goodness. I had nursing clinicals in the morning but I promised Edward I would drop the box off at the post office when I got out. Today was going to be fun, school-wise. Today was the day I got to observe my first surgery. It was a simple hernia repair, but every nursing student was allowed to sit in the gallery and observe what nurses do during surgery. I had no real interest in being a surgical scrub nurse, but it was going to be very interesting to watch.

As it turns out, scrub nurses do a lot more than I had ever thought. They were involved in every aspect of the procedure except for that actual cutting open of the patient. Clinicals ended early to give us time to write up a report about what we had seen and how or whether it changed our goals for the future. The paper was easy to write because, although I now had more appreciation for the duties of a surgical nurse, it hadn't changed my goals for the future. I had known from the time my grandfather had died that I wanted to be a hospice nurse. My family had visited him in Ireland during his last few months and his nurse, Bridget, was the sweetest, most kind-hearted woman I had ever met. Her optimistic and unassuming wisdom had greatly helped me accept my grandfathers passing. I was only ten at the time, but I knew I wanted to be just like her when I grew up.

I wrote the paper quickly, changed out of my scrubs and headed to the post office. The standard postage for the box was $14 and they said it should arrive in about a week. By the time I arrived back at my dorm room, I was exhausted and I could feel the sadness creeping in. I had pushed the pain and longing to the back of my mind. I had focused on class, and then homework, and then creating Emmett's care package, but now that all that was done and my first weekend without Emmett loomed on the horizon, I could feel my stomach clenching and the emptiness inside me brought tears to my eyes. I turned off the lights and curled up in my bed.

The picture of Emmett and me at the park glared up at me from my dresser, so I reached down and picked it up. We were so happy in that picture. I traced my fingers over Emmett's face and smiled a bit at the image. He was sweaty and smiling and gorgeous in his faded USMC sweatshirt and jeans. His buzz cut had grown out a bit and the dark hair made his skin seem darker and his teeth seem whiter. He was handsome and sweet and he was mine. And he was halfway around the world in a war zone. The smile fell from my face as I considered the implications of this. I clutched the picture to my chest in an attempt to ease the ache inside me. I curled up in a ball and sobbed and begged God to bring Emmett back to me until darkness finally overtook me.

I woke up in the dark disoriented. I was holding Emmett's picture, but I could feel someone pressed up against me. Thinking my prayers had been answered I shot up in bed, startling the beautiful blonde sleeping next to me.

"Hey," Rosalie mumbled softly. "You okay? You were crying in your sleep."

I sighed and dropped back down. "I'm fine. I just… I miss him, I feel like I can't function; like I can't think." I turned over to face my roommate and furrowed my brow as a thought occurred to me, "Are we sure this bed is going to support both of us?"

Rosalie muffled a laugh in her pillow. "I'm sure we'll be fine, but if we do go down, it was your fat ass that did it."

"Bitch," I whispered and pushed her gently. I smiled as I delivered my response. "Besides, your boobs would be the reason. Honestly, with those life preservers you'll never have to worry about drowning."

"Okay, that's it," Rosalie growled before jabbing her fingers in my side and tickling me until I begged for mercy.

I had tears of laughter rolling down my face, a nice change from the last few days. "Thanks, Rosalie."

"Anytime, Bells. That's what best friends are for. If you ever want to talk about it, I'll be here, okay?" I nodded in response before turning over and returning to sleep.

People said time flies when you're having fun. From experience I could say this was true. However, the reverse is also true: time slows to a crawl when you're miserable. That first weekend felt like a lifetime, an eternity even. Rosalie stayed in with me on Saturday and we had a Saw marathon. There's nothing like gruesome, unadulterated violence to put your life in perspective. But even with twelve hours of gore and mindfuckery, the day seemed to stretch. Nighttime fell upon us and Rosalie was anxious to go see Tyler, so we decided to head to the boys house.

The boys, plus Jasper, were seated around the low coffee table in the living room and had somehow managed to turn Uno into a drinking game. By the goofy smiles and the glazed eyes, it was easy to tell they had been playing for a while. Tyler jumped up to kiss Rosalie before turning to me.

"Rosalie, Bella, drink?" Apparently full sentences were beyond his reach at this point. I smiled and nodded my assent. I felt pressure on my wrist and suddenly the world shifted as I was yanked to the floor. I ended up in Jasper's lap with his arms wrapped around my waist.

His chin landed on my shoulder and his calm, smooth voice whispered in my ear. "I heard you wanted to borrow me for a night. Still interested?" He reached up and teasingly groped my chest while he spoke. I laughed embarrassedly and batted his hand away.

"How did you know about that?!"

"Emmett called Edward this morning. He had some interesting things to say."

I groaned and I could feel the blush spreading over my face. "I was just kidding! This is so embarrassing."

"Nah, I think it's cute you're so hot for me," Jasper replied with a smirk. "Besides, I hear you make fantastic cookies. If I wasn't so happy with Edward, I would be all over that."

"Maybe we should have a threesome," Edward piped in from the other side of Jasper. He slammed a card down on the rapidly growing pile on the table. "Uno, bitches!"

"Aww, a threesome with two gay guys? I'm touched, really. Except for the fact that I wouldn't actually be touched if we did it," I replied sarcastically.

"Sweetie, if I was going to have sex with a woman, it would be you," Edward claimed. "You're the only one I would ever consider turning for."

Tyler came back with beers for me and Rosalie and dealt us into the hand after Edward won. We spent the night playing Uno and drinking and it was the first time since Wednesday that I felt happy. I still missed Emmett desperately, but knowing I had this amazing group of friends a little brighter.

When I awoke the next morning, I was in a vaguely familiar bed, but I knew it wasn't mine and I wasn't quite sure how I got there. I rolled over to see what time it was and smacked into a man's very bare chest. It was firm, but not quite as broad as Emmett's. This thought incited panic. Oh God! Emmett! Was not here! So who was I in bed with? My eyes traveled up the firm, smooth expanse of skin to the grinning face of my best friend's boyfriend.

"Morning, gorgeous," Jasper smirked.

"Why am I in Edward's bed? Why are we in Edward's bed together? Where's Edward?" I questioned frantically.

A hand from behind me landed on my hip. "I'm right here, sweetheart," Edward answered.

A horrible thought entered my pounding head. "Guys, I thought you were just kidding about the threesome! I couldn't… I didn't…"

"No, Bella. It's okay. You just slept here," Jasper quickly soothed my fears. "You were kind of wasted, darlin', and you didn't want to sleep in the guest room without Emmett, so you just crashed here."

"Oh, okay. Good. Wow." I considered our situation for a minute before laughing. This was almost identical to waking up with Rosalie this morning. "How did all three of us fit in this bed?" Jasper and Edward cracked up before all three of us curled up together and went back to sleep.

The weekend ended much better than it began. I was so excited for Emmett's call that I could barely focus on anything else. Clinicals flew by in a happy haze, classes were quick. I took notes, I answered questions, but I really couldn't tell you what they were. I should have been worried about this as finals were only a few weeks away, but my whole world was focused on getting to Wednesday and my weekly phone call.

When Wednesday night finally rolled around, I was laying on my bed, studying for a Nutrition test and pretending I wasn't anxiously waiting for Emmett to call. I was so focused on my pretending that when the phone rang I almost jumped out of my skin.

The number flashing across the screen of my phone was international and I fumbled to get the phone open and put it up to my ear.

"Hey there, Marine."

"Hello, Beautiful."

A/N 2: So just for fun, I was thinking about doing an outtake with the suggested threesome with Edward, Bella, and Jasper. Just for fun, and I promise in the outtake they'll have Emmett'ss permission. Would anyone be interested in reading that? Let me know. Have a good weekend!


End file.
